Ready for an interim govt?

Once again the rumour mills are working on overtime. First we see the break-up between the two major political parties of the country — the PPP and the PML-N. This comes at a time when the ruling party is desperate for support. Mian Nawaz Sharif is sitting on the sidelines and pressure grows on his hand-picked government to manage the affairs of state till the 2018 elections. It is a difficult task given the court cases and the political sommersaults.

The much public divorce of the PPP and the PML-N has strengthened the hand of third forces in the country. There is speculation as to what price the PPP leadership demanded for this breakaway, as it has shaken the foundation of the charter of democracy — an understanding that helped the PPP government complete its term in office.

Democratic forces have been under threat for some time now. Already, we have seen that all our national political parties have been reduced to provincial parties. There is no one party that can claim national status any more.  The MQM, for what it’s worth, has been bifurcated so many times that one doesn’t remember any more which faction is allied to whom.

In response, the religious parties and forces have seen a rejuvenation in their ranks. Egged on by unseen quarters, there are many such parties now garnering support at the expense of the mainstream political parties. Gone are the days when the PML-N could count on the support of its more extremist allies. These allies are now interested in entering mainstream politics themselves. We also have figures like Hafiz Saeed, who has already laid a network in the country through the work of allied organisations like the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, now ready to launch their own political party. In many ways, Pakistan’s political landscape is changing very fast.

Amidst all the chaos and confusion caused by the Panama Papers and all that has followed, General Musharraf has entered the fray and suggested an interim setup to set things straight. In his opinion, legislation that encourages the corrupt and the criminal to stay in power has to be removed before elections are held again. Musharraf’s vision may not have found many takers as yet, but things in Pakistan can change very quickly.

Any change in the country’s law and order situation can have far reaching implications. Already, as we have seen in the year, many attempts have been made to dislodge the government through harassment and intimidation. The last of this series was the Faizabad blockade, which many say was a test run for bigger things in the days to come. What the media doesn’t seem to ask is who this man was and what his party was all about. Despite its unknown status, in one day it brought not only the country’s capital but also its provincial capital to a halt.

The same questions were asked of Maulana Tahirul Qadri’s party which, for some reason, is shy of general elections and ready to bring change through sit-ins and street protests. One can only wonder who pays for these thousands of people who are shipped in and shipped out with amazing efficiency. A glimpse of what transpires could be seen on social media, but there is no way to prove or disprove either way.

The general elections 2018 may yield many surprises. To begin with, a number of religious parties are being readied for a bigger role in the government. The strange marriage of convenience between Zardari and Tahirul Qadri is a surprise. This is the same person Bilawal Bhutto called a cartoon not so long ago.

The real credit for Pakistan’s state of affairs goes to its corrupt politicians. The way in which they have systematically looted the state and given favours to their near and dear suggests only doom. Both the PPP and the PML-N have consistently set aside merit, have destroyed state institutions and have undermined democratic traditions when it suited them. They have made mansions overseas — real estate in Dubai is an example of who has made how much.

And yet, we are told that for democracy to flourish we must ensure that elections take place and the bad eggs are voted out of office. But what happens if there are only bad eggs in the whole basket?

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2017.

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