Imran is a breath of political fresh air. Bilawal is still a political unknown. Nawaz is a tried and tested political entity. Asif the survivor continues to remain a political enigma. The Maulana is a skilful political game-setter. Altaf Bhai is a proficient power player. Asfandyar enjoys his politics, playing from behind the scene. Shujaat is fighting for survival.
Imran is an achiever — his latest achievement being the first ever intra-party elections held by any political party in the post-independent South Asia. With this, he has shown that he is prepared to take the necessary political risks to make a bid for the top political office. His appeal to the youth bulge is phenomenal.
Young Bilawal has no personal achievements to show so far. However, he heads a 43-year-old party, which has many achievements and failures to its credit. The party will be completing its fourth stint in the government. It has given the nation its first-ever consensus Constitution. His grandfather is credited to have given voice to the downtrodden and also authored the country’s nuclear weapons’ programme. His mother is credited to have died fighting for democracy. The jury is still out on his father.
Nawaz, the motorway man, has the distinction of introducing Pakistan to globalised market economy. He has also the distinction of rushing into head-on collisions with all his army chiefs — Aslam Beg, Asif Nawaz, Kakar, Jehangir Karamat, and General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. His biggest political achievements are signing the now-almost-defunct Charter of Democracy with his political rival, the late Benazir Bhutto, and bending politically backwards to protect the current political dispensation from potential civil and military adventurers. Midway through, because of this policy, he lost a lot politically, mostly to a resurgent Imran Khan. Now, he seems to be regaining fast the lost ground.
President Zardari’s biggest achievement is his success in leading an elected civilian government to complete its tenure for the first time, since the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution. His other major achievement is in keeping the PPP intact after the violent and untimely death of his spouse, the charismatic Benazir. His third major success has been in letting each of the political party in parliament to have a stake in the current political dispensation. Punjab is with Nawaz and in Sindh, despite the PPP’s absolute majority, the party is sharing power with the MQM. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the PPP has helped the ANP form a government and in Balochistan, the ruling party is sharing power with the PML-Q and the JUI-F. In addition, under his watch, the 1973 Constitution was rendered back to its original shape — a real achievement in the face of multidirectional pulls from the coalition partners, each having its own manifesto to protect, while at the same time facing a formidable parliamentary opposition, perpetually challenging his right to rule. And hounded by the media and chased by the courts on a daily basis, he seems to have willingly or grudgingly let the executive authority be shorn off most of its dictatorial kinks while sticking dearly to his policy of reconciliation.
The MQM and the JUI-F have followed the policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds — in the case of the MQM, it was to protect its political stakes in urban Sindh and in the case of the JUI-F, it was to protect its ultra-religious constituency. The PML-Q, facing desertion under pressure from the PML-N, had no alternative but to extend a hand of cooperation to the PPP for its own survival. The ANP feels obliged to President Zardari for getting the party what it had been demanding since partition — changing the name of the province to what it believes to be one truly representing its sociocultural identity.
On the face of it, Nawaz seems about to break into the lead while the Rehman Maliks and Wattoos of the PPP are making it almost impossible for the party to make a fight for it. Asfandyar, Imran, Altaf Bhai, the Maulana and Shujaat are likely to gain enough to bargain themselves back into a power-sharing position and after the next polls, we may end up with a coalition government similar to the one we have now but led by ...? Yes, there is a $64,000 question mark there.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 12th, 2012.
COMMENTS (17)
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" In addition, under his watch, the 1973 Constitution was rendered back to its original shape " Surprised to hear from you that with all its inhuman ammendments its is still original.Original is, one before any ammendments. His grandfather is credited to have given voice to the downtrodden and also authored the country’s nuclear weapons’ programme. Nuclear program had started soon after 1965 war.The establishment realised that with conventional warefare India could not be contained.Scientists in Ayub's era had allready developed blue-prints and basic designe of nuclear bomb designe.However it was entirely kept secret and work was done at secret locations.Bhutto sahib has hijacked that programm.He was not a pioneer in this field. "It has given the nation its first-ever consensus Constitution." Yes, Consensus constitution.He was able to unite the nation to-split the nation on religion.
@Ishrat salim: "...67pct do not pay taxes and most of them do not have NTN numbers….AAZ also did not file tax rtn in 2011…..so calling jiyalas…is such act OK ?"
These honourable elected democratic representatives are doing their best to prove that they are a bunch of power and wealth hungry exploiters. They will see to it that they get elected once again to help democracy take root, while the pile of cash in their bank accounts gets higher and higher.
Guys read Mr Umer Cheema's report on taxes being paid by our MPs, lawmakers and cabinet ministers....67pct do not pay taxes and most of them do not have NTN numbers....AAZ also did not file tax rtn in 2011.....so calling jiyalas...is such act OK ?
@Abid P. Khan:
And thanks to a generous tax write off for himself (he did not even fie a return -- look at Usher Rahman's investigative report in the sane paper) that biggish pocket us getting bigger and bigger.
It saddens me to know that I share my country with sycophants of the highest calibre who will not utter a word against their political masters. So depressing!
$640000 question? Inflation has taken over. That kind of money is ill gotton by many of current leaders in many countries. Try a different adjective sir.
@asim: "...Zardari has opened mouth of the treasury ..." . Are you implying that the generous promise by the president of $10 million for Malala Fund, would burden the treasury and not some off-shore account? Don't under estimate the president, he believes in education of women. He already started the project by sending his own daughters to some of the most expensive schools in the world. He pays his children's schooling from his own pocket contrary to the loose talk. His pocket may be on the biggish size is a different matter.
What to talk of democracy & constitution when according to constitution, LG election should have been done as soon as election is over - which was 5 yrs ago...was it done yet ? LG system was brought in to create leadership from grass-root level...has that happened ? so, what to talk of democracy / election etc; because no politicians wants second tier of leadership to grow as they think they are indispensable fearing to loose dynastic ownership of their parties....under such a situation, can we hope for any improvement in their approach to better the lot of the poor people & country ?
PMLN is in with a real chance of forming a majority government. This is the best option for Pakistan. BTW Intra party election of PTI have only been held in one small area and even those have been tainted by allegations of rigging.
Good piece. I just hope that the next coalition - led by whomever - at least makes a start on solving some of the national problems. We are so deep in the hole now, so far behind, that even a genuine start on power crisis, law and order, education reform, healthcare and good governance would be a major achievement. Let's see. We must keep the pressure on these otherwise not-very promising lot to deliver something, at least.
Please seriously reconsider the yardstick for 'performance' that you have used for the mentioned political parties.
When will our old generation stop counting our politicians' failures as acheivements? And also, please wake up from your slumber, Pakistan has changed from the 70s, 80s and even the 90s. You are giving too much credit to the old horses who will never let Pakistan progress if relected. . . The jury is still out on Zardari? Give me a break! . PMLN and PPP have no future in the Pakistan of today. Neither do ehtnic based parties, like MQM, and ANP. Pakistanis are now demanding a national party across all provinces with links to the grassroots.
A caolition government - one that is driven purely by national interests - may not be such a bad idea after all. If the country's leadership deletes the idea of vengeance from its mindset and commits not to steal from the national exchequer this could lead to a sort of consensus that defines a viable roadmap for Pakistan to move back from the brink. However this, regretfully, may be easier said than done.
Is he suggesting AZ is going to be the next PM?
A pretty fair and balanced Op Ed by the editor of ET, thanks for that. Of course there would and should always be a coalition govt in Pakistan. The ethnic divisions alone make it impossible for one party to emerge a national party except PPP. Even after the next elections PPP would have a full control of senate and presidency. It would not be easy to get another president as all the provinces and senate are the voters. The rightwing parties have contested most all elections as alliance and did not dare contest against PPP on their own. Once again these rightwing parties are going to form and electoral alliance against PPP to have any chance. The so-called resurgent PML-N and Sharif brothers are now talking like progressive, social democrats. Most people are not that naive to forget that they are political offspring of worst dictator Zia and responsible for establishing the terrorist madarsa and jihadist culture. My take is whether PPP forms the next govt or not but it would again emerge as the single largest national party.
PPP has committed a political suicide by making wrong leadership choices. PML-Q is going down because of its political miscalculation of alliance with PPP. MQM is about to get a major blow because of recent developments in UK. ANP has limited electoral potential in KPK & Karachi. JUIF will continue to retain the niche voter base they always had. The fight is between the two giants now: PTI and PMLN.