Every October, Pakistanis are reminded of the murder of democracy on October 12, 1999. Around nine years after that — in 2008 — we saw the downfall of a military dictatorship and the dawn of democratic government in Pakistan.
Today, Pakistanis have experienced freedom for four years. It has been the best of times and the worst of times. It has been the best of times because there is freedom of speech, a free media where all kinds of views are expounded on talk shows and where no one is spared, be it the head of state. Dictator Pervez Musharraf was a bad listener and a compulsive bluffer who, could blab for hours on television and get away with it. He would handle two subjects, ie, media manipulation and human resource replacements himself. Through a well-orchestrated media campaign, he portrayed himself as Mr Clean to the domestic and foreign media. However, now, whenever he is asked about his wealth, he doesn’t give a direct answer or deflects the question. It may be worth mentioning that when he and I went to China in mid-1999, we had only a few hundred dollars for shopping and both of us had to think many times before deciding on the purchase of an item. After a decade, I am still counting pennies whereas he is undeniably rich.
Moving on, the Pakistan of today suffers from serious energy shortages, so much so that the shortfall is affecting our industry, agriculture and trade. The rich are not ready to part with their extortion or pillage for the good of the common man and the poor are, surprisingly, too peevish, to stand up for their rights. The poor have been suppressed for so long that they have gotten used to living in extreme poverty without food, clothing and shelter. However, the frustration is now reaching its limit and the rubber string of patience will snap one day and engulf this nation with riots and looting. One small spark will be enough to start a fire which will be impossible to control. The answer to our present turmoil lies in poor-friendly policies, which must be introduced without any loss of time or else, we will become a failed state. The present government is thriving on chaos more than anything else and there seems no long-term planning.
Are we heading for a revolution, or a military intervention, or a civil war? We must learn from the experience of the West. Religion must not be overplayed by religious groups and they must all look for common ground instead of fighting over differences. The government should consider introducing ration cards so that the poor may be provided subsidised food items. Indirect taxation must be cut if not totally eliminated. Export of food items must be banned except surplus rice and this could at least stabilise food prices, if not bring them down.
Pakistan’s defence needs take the major share of the national budget. However, a reduction in this was a logical expectation, especially after the nuclear tests of 1998. However, for vested interests, Musharaf did not reduce the armed forces budget since they were his power base. He readily agreed to enter America’s ‘war on terror’ in Afghanistan to curry favour with Washington and this only increased his stranglehold on power. Foreign elements in Fata should have been handled using covert intelligence operations instead of involving the whole of the Pakistan Army, because this only caused retaliatory attacks against it and these continue to this day.
Of course, there is a silver lining and that is in our superior judiciary of today. The present Chief Justice of Pakistan is displaying wisdom and courage to uphold the rule of the Constitution. Public support is a must for the judiciary so that they can exercise their power and are not embarrassed through non-compliance of orders by the executive. Democracy is, no doubt, a blessing for the people of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (27)
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@gp65:
I m not supporting dictatorship but was just trying to open the eyes of PPP Jayalas who blindly supports PPP who was responsible for the breakup of EPakistan into BDesh, when talking of democracy why did not ZAB let Mujeeb Awami Party form govt when they won as majority party ?...and same party in power today has not been able to resolve Baluchistan issue...if you wud have gone thru archive of 1971 I am sure your answer would have been more accurate....
I think Gen Zia made lot of sense in plain simple English. The bunch of current parliamentarys have overplayed democracy so much that all military rules were best times. No institutions are working, killing after killing and lip service only in talk show by incumbent's sycophants only. So I wou say writer may be General but has said it all. Today media maybe free but media pen is dishonest more than ever except few. Religious leaders are worse than all. Political parties after 18 amendment has been slaved to party leader. It is just too much rather rock bottom for poor public. Worst of all now that no one has the courage to call spade a spade. Though the absolute fact is this democracy has been the worst abuse to democracy. Just hope Justice to last as Gen Ziauddin wished. The only hope in this worst democracy and shamed governance.
@ishrat salim: I am not a Pakistani and do not favor any particular party or its leaders. IfBhuto did something in his capacity as 'martial law administrator', then it is unlikely that I support it just because t was Bhutto. Passing of anti-Ahmadi law was surely something that you can lay on no-one's door but Bhutto's. I just feel though that as a system democracy is far superior to dictatorship due to the inherent element of self correction in it. The Pakistani minorities would not have been brutally decimated from 14% at time of partition to less than 3% ifon an ongoing basis the politicians had to go to them for votes. This is just one example.
We can't get rid of indirect taxes such as the GST; every country has a sales tax of sorts. What we need to do is bring back ALL the direct taxes that were removed by previous dictators: wealth, capital gains, estate, inheritance etc. That would make the tax system as a whole more progressive.
@Khan: Great !....adding..unless we get rid of feudalism, dynastic political parties, beradari system, tribalism. Sardari system...unless we impart education to our people as enshrined in our constitution...so that they can come out of slavery from their lordships ( feudal lords etc ), the 53 % poor rural people ( are the game-changers ) will always remain vunerable to exploitation by these elements who claims to be champion of " democracy "....we hv today an elected govt who defies law, court orders & constitutional clause ( in this case 63 1 C ) pertaining to dual nationality...demanding that the judges etc; shud also be similarly disqualified...although there is no law except 63 ( 1 C......yet we have literate people who are supportive of govt`s undemocratic actions...so what " democracy " are we talking about ?....
@gp65:
Gen Ayub started 1965 war, but Gen Yahya in colusion with ZAB started 1971 war bcz although Mujeeb party ( Awami league ) won election as a majority party, this position cud not be tolerated by ZAB & ZAB refused to attend the first parliamentary meeting scheduled in Dacca ( present Dhaka ) in Mar 3, 1971.This postponment & refusing to accept Mujeeb party as winner forced Mujeeb party to first demand provincial autonomy with defence & foreign policy to be with center....this proposal was also refused which then forced Mujeeb party to demand for independence...an idea supported by all opposition parties of EPak & india covert support...it was then that Gen Tikka was sent to EP to crush these so-called freedom-fighters & the ensuing civil war....after the surrender of our 90,000 soldiers.ZAB was declared to be the first " Civilian Martial Law Administrator " ( & yet PPP do not look into this aspect ).....gentlemen...pls look into the archive of " Dawn " from the beginning of 1971 till the downfall....& today the same scenario is being played in Baluchistan where for the past 4.5 yrs no solution has been found by the civilian govt ( civilian govt claims to be a better problem solver..? ) & it may meet with similar fate during the tenure of PPP....history repeats itself.....all political parties are responsible for the present mess in Baluchistan ....all are politicising the issue but are not prepared to sit down together to resilve such an important issue as " Baluchistan " but only passing the buck....
I like this article, I am also aware who Mr. Butt is (the person who was made Pakistan's army chief on October 12, 1999 by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif only to be removed by Mr. Musharraf). Anyways, seems like he has made good points in the article except in terms of talking about the economic program. Yes, he was right when he said that democracy is a blessing but I think it is a blessing only when the democratic institutions are strong enough to sustain the ups and downs of the democratic polity! This is also the case with my country, Bangladesh. Democracy is here but the democratic institutions are weak. Anyways, best of luck to Pakistan for the up coming elections!
At the end of the second para you lost me because of your claim ...... I am still counting pennies. Sir, that's a direct insult to an ordinary civilians intelligence.
@Qasim Luk: "....( I think he said in earlier interviews that Musharraf had put him away for two years in solitary confinement), but we need people like him to keep reminding us of the reality of those times.."
It would not be a bad idea if you stated the reason for him being put away in solitary confinement. We may get a picture of the reality those days.
@Qasim Luk: Thank you for speaking up for me. Appreciate it. By the way, I feel that no government including a democratic government should be above criticism, so in that sense I agree there should be no sacred cows. In fact one of the ways to keep the government accountable is to ensure that it is fairly critiqued by common people. I feel though that questioning democracy as a system in a country where there has been no democratic government which has completed a full term does not promote stability.
Also I am a woman - just fyi.
so you want a Caliphate?
@gp65: I think lots of people misunderstood Gauravi (gp65)'s comment, I dont see his words as defense of PPP either, but I do think that the General and gp65 are actully on the same page, more than his comment reflects. I think just the fact that there was a reaction against his words when he was perceived to be siding with the PPP illustrated the point that the General is making, which is clearing the doubts about democracy that have once again risen in the people's mind.
I dont agree with the analysis that just because he (the General) compared democracy and dictatorship, it automatically means that he has degraded or downgraded democracy, this kind of sacred cow attitude has landed us in a lot of trouble, and democracy of all things should be above such zealous protection, by its very nature a democratic system must address the questions and doubts of its people. By bringing up the doubts, presenting an argument and then declaring unquestionable support for democracy the General seems to have made a better case than just someone who asks for blind faith in the democratic system.
It is even more powerful since he himself comes from the very system that has subverted democracy for decades, and for someone of his background (ISI chief, corp commander and all) to agree that democracy is the only way, is a big win for us all. Hopefully the current soldiers will take some lessons from this elder statesmen of theirs.
Sir with due respect I would blame it all on generals who ruled this country with absolute power but made a mockery of it. While they could have planned for the future of the society, instead all they wanted to achieve was short term goal and then utilizing that temporarily achievement to prolong their own rule just like a King would do. I used to be a big admirer of Musharraf during his rule but then I saw the core issues being ignored by all. We all expect democracy to deliver but at the same time we either kick them out via judiciary, horse trading and buying politicians to change governments or by throwing them out all together and the result is in front of us, Not a single political party has a manifesto that talks about solving our problems and no one votes their politicians after checking their manifesto. We can build as many schools, roads, hospitals etc as we want but we will always be short of them and will always be in shortage of food, healthcare etc. Musharraf claimed to have reduced poverty level during his tenure but did it last? or Will it ever last when we have such high rate of population growth? Not a single political leader talks about population control, not a single of them talks about single education curriculum, we don't have a time frame for repatriation of millions of refugees who're a big burden on our shoulders, No one has ever worked towards integration of tribal areas or fencing / guarding of our Western border. p.s credit where it is due .. Musharraf despite his myopic policies, at least did allow hundreds of universities and media freedom.
General we have a problem and that problem is the Economy, we simply don't have enough incentives in place for entrepreneurs. General, do you have any recommendations for covert operations to increase the size of the economic pie. General, you must say a lot of "must" in order to be forceful in your speech, or is it desperation, for now, anyhow, General we respect your opinion.
@elementary: " As criticism of Maulana Fazlurehman is not criticism of Islam ,Criticism of current bunch of looters is not criticism of democracy.You may like them for whatever reason,"
I am referring to the title which says 'Democracy - bane or boon' It does not say 'PPP bane or boon?'. Thus I take it that his critique is of democracy. I specifically said that evaluating PPP should not be confused with evaluating democracy - which is similar to what you appear to be saying. SO where is the disagreement? Can you please point to the specific statement whereby I am defending PPP? DO also see my comment in the Editorial related to the Vanni case.
@gp65: As criticism of Maulana Fazlurehman is not criticism of Islam ,Criticism of current bunch of looters is not criticism of democracy.You may like them for whatever reason, they are causing misery and suffering to the common populace of pakistan(since you don't live in Pakistan you can't possibly know).And no I am not criticizing Democracy.
@Qasim Luk: " I dont think he second guessed it anywhere?"
Thank you for your feedback. I think apart from the heading, the whole article implied that while army rule had its problem, democracy has had its problems - establishing a false equivalence since there is no way to compare the harm done under military rule to the incompetence of the current government. FOr sure I am not defending PPP's poor governance but if democracy persists, better people will be elected - or the existing people will have to brush up their act if they do not want to be thrown out. A poor government should not be used as a basis for evaluating democracy per se. I guess that is where I was coming from.
Regards, Gauravi
Please spare us the rhetoric sir. You were a Let Gen in 1999, not to mention DG ISI and would be considered a rich man in Pakistan just with your monthly pay. I have yet to see a poor general in Pakistan.
General saab, as head of ISI you are no doubt well aware of Indian designs to keep Pakistan down. Any reason for leaving the role of RAW out of your analysis?
I am pleasantly surprised a Pakistani general making some sense! I never thought that I would say that but I have to call it as I see. Thanks for a pragmatic Op Ed. @gp65: I agree with your post however, you are expecting a lot from a Pakistani general! I am happy to see even some sense among Pakistani generals. Eventually the general has endorsed democracy for Pakistan and not the military misrule. The main problem of Pakistan is the tiny size of its economy compared to its huge army and defense expenses at the cost of poor civilians. No country in the world with tiny economy has both huge army of over half a million, hundreds of nuclear weapons and missiles. When would the nuclear knowhow used for power generation and not war mongering? Cheers, Mirza
@gp65: You have good points about the dictators but I think your comment about the retired general is off the mark. I dont think he second guessed it anywhere? I read it more like a rhetorical question about democracy, one that people are asking these days because of the rampant corruption, he makes an argument FOR democracy and he clearly says in the last line "democracy is no doubt a blessing for pakistan".
He makes a good point about Musharraf's wealth, I dont know why people dont question it more. Also Musharraf's decisions, we all know he gained personally, but what did Pakistan gain? - A lot of people would like to forget Musharraf its in our nature to forget, though some may be fooled/pressed by the amazing corruptness of the present government and start thinking Musharraf's times were better.
But the truth is that we have gotten into trouble only becaues of our short memories, we forgot that Ayub was a dictator who made Pakistan the personal bank account for his chosen 22 families suppressed political processes and maligned anyone against him, including Fatima Jinnah. We forgot Yahya in his drunken power trips gave away half the country. We forgot the absolute destruction caused by Zia-ul-haq, where he completely destroyed the arts, the society, the culture of pakistan, taking away the pens of poets and the brushes of artists and handing them guns. And we suffered for our forgetfulness yet again, when we cheered Musharraf on as another government fell.
Had we waited just two more years, Nawaz Sharif would have had to face the people in an election. If he was so unpopular he would have been shown the door. And the foundation for a real political system would have been laid. Where the public filters out the rulers until real leaders can be found. It would have taken more time, but would have been a solid and working system. But we chose to be impatient yet again, and sat quitely as yet another general decided he wanted to have it all, taking away our rights and spending our tax money on his personal pleasures.
This time we cannot forget, becuase I dont think our system can take another disruption. Everytime the army has come, it has left a legacy of destruction and problems, the bihari crisis, the bangladesh crisis, the gun culture, the sectarianism, the religious extremism, the baluch crisis, and endless more, all the legacy of army rule.
So we cannot forget, and therefore I thank this man Ziauddin. I like the article, he seems like a very learned man, but without the usual diplomatic hidden speech. He obviously has a lot of personal wounds associated with 12th October and Musharraf ( I think he said in earlier interviews that Musharraf had put him away for two years in solitary confinement), but we need people like him to keep reminding us of the reality of those times.
Dear sir, banning food exports will only worsen the situation and goes against basic economic principles. If the food can be sold for more abroad, it should, and that money can then be used (more profitably) to buy other types of food at home or import other types of food from abroad. This is more cost-effective.
At sometime Pakistan has got to stop second guessing democracy and move forward on the democratic path with confidence. They say if the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail. So Ayub started the 1965 war, Yahya precipitated 1971 with Operation Searchlight and division of the nation, Zia got you into the Afghan jehad and attend problems of kalashnikov and drug culture, Musharraf gave you Kargill and GWOT apart from the Balochistan mess.
But then a retired general second guessing democracy is no surprise.
Ex General, you sure have an axe to grind.
Lesson on democracy from one more general, isn’t that the real problem? When will this change?