Presidential warning

We have more words of warning. Speaking in Nawabshah, President Zardari has lashed out against ‘anti-democratic’ politicians and their attempts to damage the PPP. He has cited criticism of the party’s change of the name of the NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the package put in place for Balochistan as specific examples of this. The references are quite obvious. Most of us who have followed politics in Pakistan since 1988, when democracy was restored, are familiar with the methods used to undermine and damage PPP governments. The ‘liberal’ image of the party and its leadership by a woman were obvious factors. In her days out of power, the late Benazir Bhutto had alluded to this more than once.

It would therefore be unfair to dismiss President Zardari’s words as mere paranoia. However, perhaps we need also to consider if the government has in any way made it easier for the campaign we see to be launched. The fact of the matter is that while the renaming of the former NWFP, on the wishes of its people, and the package of rights for Balochistan are positive steps, we need to consider what must be done to go beyond these. The ‘KP’ name cannot on its own eradicate rising dissent in the province over action to tackle flooding, continued militancy, inflation or other issues. Similarly, there is question over whether there has been anything akin to actual change in Balochistan.

The president must not be dismissed when he speaks of moves against his party. It would be an immense tragedy for Pakistan to lose its democracy once more. This would set us back decades. The concerns expressed are genuine ones. But the president must also remember that he and the government must consider what they can do to combat the situation. Merely pointing fingers is not enough. Concrete action is needed on many fronts, chiefly to place the force of people behind the government and thus ward off any threat by using citizens to defend it.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2010.