Time for truth and reconciliation

The events of the last few days suggest that we are back on familiar territory. You don’t need rocket science to figure out what is going on between the civilian and military leadership. But who should be blamed for this impasse? One segment squarely points a finger at politicians, while the other finds fault with the security establishment for the current state of democracy in Pakistan. However, the neutral verdict is that both Islamabad and Rawalpindi have had their fair share in our downfall. Two recent events can give us an insight on how politicians and generals are responsible.

The passage of the Election Bill 2017 by the Senate and the National Assembly was certainly not a good example to boast of our democratic credentials. No matter what the ruling party says in its defence, the fact remains that the move was only aimed at facilitating the return of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the top party position. Intra-party elections were nothing but a farce since no one can dare to compete against Nawaz. This is a clear manifestation of dictatorship within our political parties. It is true Nawaz may be the force behind the PML-N but is he indispensable? Can’t the PML-N find a suitable candidate to lead the party?

The defence put forward by his loyalists is that since Nawaz was ousted from power through a conspiracy, he is right to hit back. Some of the leaders have minced no words in holding the military establishment responsible. Maryam Nawaz publicly alluded to this confrontational approach. But no matter how genuine their concerns are, the PML-N government cannot absolve itself from how it dealt with the entire Panama scandal. Since April 2016 Nawaz had plenty of chances and time to come clean when the Panama scandal first broke. He had the option to settle this controversy by using the platform of Parliament. Had he been sincere, the controversy would not have lingered on. The opportunity, however, was wasted as Nawaz and his advisers were complacent and had little idea that the scandal would take an ugly turn.

If the PML-N government’s follies and Nawaz’s return to the party presidency were not good advertisements for democracy, the scenes outside an accountability court on October 2 were not a good spectacle either for the supremacy of civilian rule. Such can only happen in Pakistan where the interior minister was stopped by a force which theoretically works under him. The bizarre incident clearly sent out a message to the civilians as well as the rest of world the reality of who is in charge of Pakistan’s affairs. The frustration on part of the interior minister was understandable, who insisted that the government wouldn’t allow a “state within a state.”

Since then, the military has clarified the Rangers’ fiasco. The damage, nevertheless, has already been done. Even US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement expressing concerns over the future of government in Pakistan. The moot point here is what next? Martial law? Snap elections? A government of technocrats? The first probability has stoutly been dismissed by the army. Early elections can be an option. A government of technocrats is, however, impossible without the army’s intervention.

Even if any of those options are exercised, would this provide us a way forward? Certainly not. Those options were tried and tested several times in the past. We need to break from this vicious cycle. The power struggle between state institutions must end. We need fresh ideas and a new beginning.

How is that possible? Surely, not by blaming one another. As a nation we are collectively responsible for our downfall. We still have a choice either to pass the buck on to others or do our introspection. Seeking truth and reconciliation can be the way out. The politics of revenge and vendetta must give way to a policy of forget and forgive.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2017.

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