Another first

The presidential speech raises hopes that the incoming PML-N government and the presidency can work smoothly together.

As far as records and victories go, our politicians seem to be faring better than our cricketers. In yet another “first”, President Asif Ali Zardari became the first Head of State to address parliament for the sixth time. Finally, democratic traditions seem to be flourishing in our land and this is certainly something to cheer about given our history of frequent interruptions to the democratic process, and rule for long years by military dictators.

This issue was one Mr Zardari referred to clearly in his mature, poised speech, during which he also wished the incoming government well. The President, who has, of course, seen at close range the ravages inflicted by autocratic rule, stressed that in the Pakistan of the future, there could be no rule for dictators. This is being interpreted as a possible reference to General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, whose fate currently hangs in the balance. President Zardari also called for tough decisions on drones — an issue the previous government had also struggled with. He also stressed that Pakistan must not allow its soil to be used for militancy and it is yet to be seen how the new prime minister and his team handle this matter. The President spoke about the need to address matters such as the misuse of blasphemy laws and to protect vulnerable groups such as women and minorities. Certainly, this is badly needed and is an issue any government needs to be reminded of.

The presidential speech, its tone and tenor, raises hopes that the incoming PML-N government and the presidency can work smoothly together. Certainly, both have stated they intend to aim for precisely this relationship. The removal of powers allotted to the President by the PPP government should help greatly in this matter — and help us walk out onto the open field of democracy. If this pattern continues, we can be confident we may finally succeed in establishing democratic norms in our nation, thus setting for ourselves a brighter future to look towards over the coming few years.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2013.

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