Prohibitive collateral damage

The tone and tenor of rulers in their interactions are seemingly like judge, jury and executioner defying the fundamental principle of dispensation of justice—no one is guilty unless proven so- and embracing the draconian principle of all are guilty unless proven innocent. Their sweeping allegations against the political leadership of all hues have disappointed many who are apprehensive of their brinkmanship that may lead to hurting democracy beyond recognition as a collateral damage. They may be pleaded to take leaf from the Chinese wisdom (Sun Tzu), ‘to subdue the opponent without fighting is the supreme excellence’. Its application is more relevant in parliamentary democracy than in despotic dispensation.

Timing of the arrest of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif by NAB may be a bad omen alike for the functioning of the parliamentary democracy. Both the opposition and the ruling party are likely to be at loggerheads in perpetuity affecting the legislative business of Parliament in its entirety. The seamless functioning of democracy without the cooperation of the both sides of the political divide indeed falls in the realm of impossibility. Unfortunately, no earnest desire is manifested on the part of the treasury benches to reach out to the opposition to seek its cooperation. Instead, it seems the ruling party is on the trajectory of keeping the cauldron boiling, reasons best known to them. The dynamics may not be propitious to the collective chagrin of the people of the country. They hope and pray that better sense may prevail to promote and strengthen the constitutional rule collectively and single-mindedly considering it as a shared commitment. Unfortunately that looks like a far-fetched cry.

Also, questions are being raised about the impartiality and fairness of the by-elections scheduled to be held today as the top leader of the PML-N has been arrested just before the elections. NAB action may be defined like of Nawaz Sharif’s conviction by the accountability court just before the couple of weeks of the holding of general elections in July this year. The political analysts may maintain that the due process of law would have been not been compromised if the NAB had taken the action after the by-elections, thus effectively pre-empting the allegations of vendetta. The timing of the arrest, without going into merits or demerits of the case, has given enough justification to the opponents, in particular, to raise their voice at the top of their vocal cord shouting out the physical manifestation of political victimisation to favour the ruling party.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has rightly commented that the arrest of the opposition leader had sent very wrong message at the international level of the type of democracy in the country insinuating it as utterly devoid of the accepted norms of democratic ethos. PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah also lamented the action when he said it had undermined the sanctity of Parliament as for the first time the leader of the opposition had been arrested in such manners and at time when by-elections were so close. Other leaders of the political parties had also strongly disapproved the arrest in equal measures signifying it as allegorical to political victimisation. The arrest may eclipse the credibility and impartiality of the by-elections as was the case of the general elections. The formation of parliamentary commission to investigate the alleged elections rigging is reflection of lack of trust of the political parties on the ECP. It may well be anticipated that the TORs of the parliamentary commission may also include the by-elections when judging from the vehement reaction of the opposition political leadership.

The PPP government led by Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani can be safely described as the comparatively best period for the parliamentary democracy as the ruling PPP always took the opposition into confidence on issues of national importance. Who could afford to deny the landmark achievements like the 18th amendment with consensus that addressed the political and economic deprivation of the federating units? The 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award ensured the financial autonomy for the provinces by significantly increasing their share out of the federal divisible pool. The NFC Award also carried the consensus across the board. The naming of the frontier province as KP was yet another historic achievement with consensus that squarely buried the stunt of Pakhtoonistsan issue for ever. It may be source of pride for the parliamentary democracy in Pakistan that 90% bills tabled in Parliament were presented and passed with consensus. The peaceful transfer of power with smiling faces from PPP to PML-N juxtaposed with good wishes was the zenith of the manifestation of the democratic commitment of the PPP leadership and the PPP.

PPP’s unequivocal commitment to democracy has not waned even afterwards rather remained unflinching. The party leadership and its workers consider the continuity and promotion of democratic order as their fundamental obligation emanated from the legacy of great Bhuttos who had nurtured democracy with their blood. They are committed to preserve and promote the legacy, and the track record of the party since then vindicated that they would never let sun down on democracy in the country no matter what. In the recent elections, living up to the commitment, the party not only opted for parliamentary politics but also convinced the other opposition parties to join Parliament for the sake of the continuity of democracy. It may be recalled that other parties were seriously considering boycotting Parliament to protest anomalies in the conduct of elections. The developments those are unfolding afterwards spoke in volume that the PPP political judgment was in sync with the interest of democracy and indeed of the federation. The revisiting of the agitation politics may have paved the way of the derailment of the democracy in the country inflicting irreparable loss to the country. It may recalled, PPP’s opposition to sit-in politics in 2014 played decisive role in foiling the designs of those who were out there to impose political change ultra vires of the Constitution. The continuity of democracy in the country is largely beholden to the PPP, its leadership and its dedicated workers. The track record of it bears witness to this claim.

The PTI government’s back to back mishandlings are major cause of worry among the people as their hopes of better future may be fast dwindling. The impression may be gathering that the leadership has neither the vision nor the requisite experience of dealing with the complex issue of governance. The absence of roadmap reflecting the strategy of the incumbent government to make the qualitative difference in the lives of the people is simply not in the sight. Instead, the substantial increase in the gas prices, electricity hike is expected this month, the lives of all and sundry are bound to become miserable resultantly as the negative accumulative impact on the delivery of other goods and services cannot be wished away. The people will face the brunt being the end users of such goods and services. The providers will, as always, tend to transfer this to the end consumers (people) to ensure profitability, the basic motivation of doing business.

It seems that the ruling party has made the people to follow the rear light of the truck-- as a tactical distraction-- that is on the road running on full speed to bring back billions of dollars of Pakistani’s money stashed in the foreign countries. The injection of this huge money in the economy will take care of all the problems of the people to ensure their upward social mobility during the shortest possible span of time. This formula may not work for longer period of time because the complex legal framework to lay hand on such surreal money may not come to fruition in coming years, and talking of months is like magnificent delusion. The mandarins know it and they do not want the people should also know it for obvious reason of seeking extended honey moon period.

This magnificent delusion is likely to die down before its taking off because the laws in other countries are much stringent and demand irrefutable evidences pertaining to the illegality of money if the legal framework exists between the two countries to share the information. The delusion, like all other delusions, is going to be busted at the end of the day. The government may seriously contemplate to provide doable relief if it wants to keep its support base intact. The unpredictability of country’s politics may be kept in mind as driving force to provide relief to the people who have been assured of better days once the PTI government was in saddle. The people are not in mood of giving the government more than three months to feel the difference. That deadline may not be put on the back burner because the credibility of the government and its leadership is at stake.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com