Daily Times

The Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, has visions of being the architect of a grand and vibrant Pakistan. His building of a network of roads is commendable and is correctly considered the bedrock for any dynamic nation. So far, so good. Any dreams of a historic legacy to be remembered must look at the next step. Any leader once having attained the seat of power must look at the future realistically. A rereading of Machiavelli might be considered relevant and important at this stage. A salient feature would be the famous line: “Having obtained power one must remove those who helped you gain power.” This is probably the single most important line in the entire book.

Nawaz must now cast aside the Charter of Democracy (CoD) for it brings with it the toxic company of the PPP, which has proved it is on a suicidal mission and has seen itself dropping from being the premier party of Pakistan to a miserable last position, and from a national party to a purely provincial one. The chances of recovery are remote even if radical surgery is done on obviously corrupt and inept officials. It is obvious that Zardari has no intention of correcting himself and will continue to hawk his wife’s memory in an effort to cling on to power. This memory, though powerful, is also dangerous for the public is now stating that she was good and he is evil. Zardari and his sister Faryal are being tarred with the same brush. Nawaz Sharif must decide quickly whether he will stand on the side of a bright future or will go down as the cohort of a bogus Charter of Democracy (CoD).

Nawaz’s misplaced sense of loyalty should be readjusted to reality. An example is Benazir herself, who, in similar circumstances, would have coyly remarked after her ridding herself of the PML-N that new realities need new directions: “We cannot continue in this vein, our paths are dissimilar and I must go my own way.” After taking power she would have unleashed a witchhunt to destroy the Sharif family, and with it the PML-N. For Nawaz Sharif to continue to support a hopeless partner in Sindh threatens to take down the majority partner, the PML-N itself. In politics there are no permanent friends, and so Nawaz Sharif must realise that a parting of the ways is at hand. The national cry for accountability is becoming more strident and Nawaz must heed this call lest he be tarnished with the same brush and be swept aside by the wave that is building. The anti-corruption cry will not brook any past affiliations or acknowledge debts owed; it will insist on a cleansing and the most important and corrupt persons are in the leadership of the PPP. This must happen soon if the PML-N is to survive the oncoming onslaught.

The most important point is the effect on the economy and the future of Pakistan. The people will not be satisfied with little red buses. They want an improvement in their lives. They want to see Karachi bustling with life and throbbing with vitality, not empty factories with machines gathering rust. The power sector sees massive load shedding despite the slogans of six months and three months; now the power minister talks of three years. The PML-N should realise that with the power shortage comes the water shortage, as both are interlinked and both affect the daily lives of the people. If the PML-N cannot make improvements in these two sectors, then it may go the way of the PPP — into political oblivion. This may happen by the induction of the third force, i.e. Imran Khan, who will heed the call of the people and will have ruthless accountability, much to the delight of the masses. This will be the birth of a ‘new Pakistan’. The PML-N must decide which direction it will take and when it should shed its bogus CoD.

The public does not wish to be fed placebos that last only 30 days after people have voted but then they wake up to the reality of having been cheated by the politicians yet again. It is time the PM wakes up and realises that little red buses will not relieve the masses of their living in the dark, unwashed and dirty. The Nawaz Sharif vision of a new Pakistan must have a lot more than little red buses and a grand Gwadar, which is still 10 years in the future.

The writer is a freelance columnist