The wages of democracy

The nonsensical bigoted kerfuffle raised by Articles 62, 63 of the multi-mess made of the Constitution has retreated.

As far as the Republic of Pakistan goes, April 16 was an unusually bloody day even by our high standards, due to one act of God and to acts of man. The battered, bruised province of Balochistan, 43 per cent of the land mass that makes up this bleeding country bore the main brunt — 80 people reportedly died in an earthquake which hit the Iranian border areas and an additional four died in a bomb blast targeting the electioneering of Sanaullah Zehri (one of whose brothers, Israrullah, distinguished himself as a senator in 2008 by upholding the tradition of burying alive women in the name of “honour”).

Eighteen were killed by a suicide bomber, also in an electioneering rally, in the deeply deadly province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, targeting Ghulam Ahmad Bilour. In even more deadly North Waziristan, nine armymen were blown up by another suicide bomber. Down south, in Sukkur, Sindh, within the space of that one day, reportedly nine men and women were murdered to restore “honour”. Karachi’s daily toll of “targeted” killings by men on motorbikes was relatively low; a mere five.

And so, amidst the bombings and other killings that have become a routine feature of life in this country and which no longer appear to affect the local sensibilities, so inured are citizens to murder, mayhem, and violence.

Meanwhile, electioneering will continue, upheld by democracy under the expert guidance of the most honourable Supreme Court and the Election Commission, the efficacy and influence of both being highlighted in this publication on April 17 by a photograph of an Election Commission banner placed upside down in full view, in Islamadad, of the watchful eyes of the Supreme Court building.

The nonsensical bigoted kerfuffle raised by Articles 62 and 63 of the multi-mess made of the Constitution by its various amenders has retreated. One casualty, though he survived his appeal to the election tribunal after his disqualification by an inane returning officer, is Ayaz Amir who has since (at the time of writing) been dropped by his party. Much has justifiably been written blasting his disqualification by the Election Commission but somehow, he has earned the ire of the bigwigs of the PML-N. It is a great pity, indeed, that the political scenario will lose a rarity — a man who is materially and morally un-corrupt. Democracy’s revenge is extending its purview.

It is now high time for the PPP members of the committee, which produced the Eighteenth Amendment — and other party members — to admit that they have blatantly lied to the nation by declaring that by that amendment, the Constitution was returned to what it was in August 1973. Bunkum, it was not. Numerous articles remain affected by the pious, sagacious, righteous, non-profligate General Ziaul Haq — amongst them, 62 (qualifications to sit in parliament) and 63 (disqualifications).

Abridged 1973 qualifications: a) must be a citizen of Pakistan; b) for National Assembly not less than 25 years of age and enrolled as a voter; c) for the Senate, not less than 30 years of age and enrolled as a voter in any area in a province or the federal capital or Fata; d) possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed by an act of parliament. That was it in 1973, innocuous and democratic. Clauses (e) to (j), which have caused all the mischief, were added by Ziaul Haq’s Eighth Amendment.

Disqualifications (abridged): a) of unsound mind and so declared by a competent court; b) an undischarged insolvent; c) ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan, or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state; d) holds an office of profit in the service of Pakistan other than an office declared by law not to disqualify; e) disqualified by an act of parliament. Clauses (f) to (o) were added.

So come on, Senator Raza Rabbani and your fellow PPP members, now that your untruth has been fully aired in public, own up, admit to it.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2013.