Pakistan deserves better

Nation's wish for good governance, democracy a pipe dream

By Rehan Siddiqui (Karachi Letter)

21 June 2008

PAKISTAN and its people have so little to be proud of. It is a nation always aspiring for all ideals and norms of a civilised society. A society where there is democracy, a corruption-free and transparent system of governance and above all where there is a rule of law.

While the people have always longed and wished for these ideals, these are the rulers — be that elected representatives, generals or civil and military bureaucrats — who never had any compunction while showing aversion to all these ideals. They left no stone unturned in their sustained efforts to de-sensitise people on all these issues.

President Musharraf excelled over his predecessors while trying to destabilise the institutions which are so necessary for a civilised and democratic system of governance and dispensation of justice. It was expected that the political leadership that came to power after February 18 general elections would try to rectify the wrongs done to the state and the society during the last eight years. But unfortunately they too seem to have taken upon themselves the 'mission' to strengthen the agenda pursued and practised during the previous quasi-democratic rules.

Changing colour

Under the constitution, the offices of the President and governors of the provinces are supposed to be apolitical and neutral. But President Musharraf, besides demolishing the judiciary, cared little about the constitution and the conventions providing for the sanctity of his office. He never hesitated in taking sides and affiliating himself with one political party or the other. The flamboyant governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, hand-picked by the grandmaster of the present day political theatre of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, is too eager and overzealous to follow in Musharraf's footsteps. And now the MQM-backed governor of Sindh, Dr Ishratul Ibad, who in the past had tried to jealously guard a public perception about his neutrality, has decided to change colours. This week Dr Ibad sounded like a typical party activist when he warned the former Army generals against their opposition to President Musharraf. He told these generals, especially those belonging to Karachi, to give up their 'character assassination' campaign (against President Musharraf) or they would be taken to task at a 'public court' which would be established (in Karachi) to expose their past actions and deeds. "We are fully aware of their credibility and it would be very easy for us to expose them in public court," thundered Dr Ibad.

Media under fire

Turning his salvo on the electronic media he also warned some anchorpersons against running 'false and fabricated' stories about President Musharraf. He regretted that these media people were acting as if they were affiliated to a political party. Dr Ibad claimed that these people (journalists and newsmen) were party to some 'hidden agendas' and were hatching conspiracies in the name of 'independence of media'.

The warnings of Sindh governor came in the wake of a long march of lawyers and civil society activists which was also supported and joined by ex-servicemen and was given extensive coverage by the electronic media. The five-day-long protest campaign of lawyers for the restoration of judges had galvanised almost all sections of society throughout the country. But the way it was brought to an abrupt end left many bewildered and confused.

Notwithstanding the unexplained compulsions working on his mind, Aitzaz Ahsan and his comrades failed to realise that the hasty decision of winding up the march and refusing to allow a sit-in even for a day would leave a deep scar on the collective psyche of lawyers fraternity and may deprive them of the frenzy with which they have been pursuing their year-long struggle.

The mystery behind the decision of Aitzaz Ahsan, the man who had so successfully and so untiringly spearheaded an unprecedented campaign of lawyers and civil society, may not be unveiled in near future. Those who saw him delivering the concluding speech to close the long march say that he was not in his usual self and was witless.

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