Zardari’s faux pas

Fleeting moments
Asif Zardari’s fulmination against the military establishment has stirred up the political scene of the country. Addressing his party workers in Islamabad, he launched a frontal attack on the establishment without caring for the consequences.
This was most unusual of someone known as a deft player of politics. Although the PPP’s team of glib spin-doctors quickly deployed to control the resultant damage but what it achieved is yet to be seen.
What prompted the former president, who is known for beating his opponents by his clever political moves, to go overboard and take on the national institution head-on? His mouthpieces now claim he only meant to castigate past dictators. How could he roar at those past dictators, “You’re here only for three years but we’re here to stay”?
The only dictator still around is Pervez Musharraf who is trying to revive his APML. Musharraf must not realise how easy it was to cobble together a party when in uniform and how hard it is to keep it intact when out of uniform. Political workers are a smart species. They’re the first to know whether their leader has any ‘juice’ left in him or not. Musharraf’s juice evaporated when he divested himself of his uniform.
Asif Zardari made offensive remarks against the military establishment, after the DG Rangers submitted his report about Rs230 billion in extortion money being pocketed by the political-bureaucratic syndicates in Karachi. Did AZ feel his turf shrinking under his feet and his vital interests under threat? Did he direct his pre-emptive volleys against the establishment to stave off any damage to his vital interests?
Frankly, the DG Rangers report didn’t surprise anyone; it only confirmed public suspicions about how Karachi, once the city of lights, has been vandalised and systematically plundered. As soon as the neutral police force took over in Karachi, some of its officials were mercilessly gunned down. And the PPP has ruled Sindh since 2008.
Asif Zardari’s braggadocio – “If I give one call, the whole country from Karachi to Khyber will come to a grinding halt. The lockdown will continue until I call it off” – had little substance. He has an exaggerated opinion of his political following. In that, he is not the only one who suffers from such delusions. Imran Khan boasted of mobilising rallies of a million heads and a hundred thousand more on two-wheelers before staging his dharnas. Nothing of the sort happened. On any good day, the attendance in his show touched few thousands painted faces, lolling about wearing colourful scarves.
What’s more, Asif Zardari’s ascension to the PPP throne was more of an accident than for any of his leadership traits. Although he was a powerful president during the PPP’s last tenure in power, the party’s performance under him was terrible. Other than mega scandals of corruption, the PPP has nothing to show for itself. The results of the 2013 general elections proved beyond any doubt that the PPP is no more a national party. Thanks largely to AZ.
After AZ’s standoff with ‘dictators’, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has been hurriedly launched into active politics. Whether he can rejuvenate the party is anybody’s guess. If young Bilawal seriously wants to bring the PPP to its past level of popularity, he will have to ditch many of his fossilised ‘uncles’ – as did his mom. Benazir Bhutto got rid of parasitic uncles Khars, Jatois and their ilk to take independent decisions. Does Bilawal possess the political acumen of his mom? Can he sideline his dad?
It had been a long-standing public demand to rid Karachi of plunder and mayhem. Now that the Rangers have launched an operation as part of national policy, the people support it wholeheartedly. Karachiites, especially, have heaved a sigh of relief after a long time. The only apprehension, however, is that the cleanup drive might stop halfway because of political expediency.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. Email: pinecity@gmail.com