President Asif Ali Zardari delivered his sixth and last speech to the joint session of parliament on Monday. The President expressed the need to further strengthen democracy for which political leaders such as Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and he himself had made great sacrifices by being incarcerated in jails and living in exile. He was all praise for the electorate who had come out to use their right to vote, though the threat from the enemies of democracy was palpable. He congratulated the new government on its electoral victory and described the transition to power from one elected government to another as the success of democracy. Whether an irony of fate or the maturity of political culture in Pakistan, the president belonging to a rival political party, the PPP, delivered the speech that reflected the polices of the incumbent government of PML-N. The presidential address to the joint session of parliament is meant to reflect the policies of the government in power. Whatever the case, that the President showed this magnanimity and gave a positive, forward-looking and progressive outlook to the future, makes the case for a Pakistan where a mature democratic political culture has finally taken root.
It was perhaps in the same spirit that the president emphasized bringing to justice all those who had suspended, abrogated and fiddled with the constitution. He assured parliament of his full support if it formulates a policy that would punish the abrogaters of democracy. Without mincing words, he called the usurpation of democracy an act of treason.
The ineffective government that the PPP led in the five previous years came into the spotlight when the president highlighted the issues the new government is faced with. The list was about all those things that the PPP government did not do either due to lack of political will or because of the pressure to defend democracy in the face of hostile elements within and without the state.
The president’s first advice to the new government was on the continuation of the policy of reconciliation that had been instrumental in helping the PPP and its allies to complete their five years in power. He described it essential that all the institutions of the state should function within their constitutional limits. He was desirous of the setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. On terrorism his view was clear: do not reconcile with those who challenge the writ of the state; those who are willing to abandon their arms are the ones who could be talked to about peace. His premise on the controversial blasphemy laws underlined a common aspiration that they should not be allowed to be used for personal or vested interest. He agreed that the economic woes afflicting Pakistan were due to the scourge of the energy crisis, terrorism and extremism. Finally he argued for the respect of the country’s sovereignty, which no one should be allowed to violate.
The president wrapped up his speech by calling the challenges huge but resolvable if the right solutions are found. An argument does arise at this point that what made the PPP not do these things when it was in power for five years? The difficulties that the president has mentioned seemed as insurmountable and impinging as they are now. When the PPP came to power, the energy crisis was already on the verge of exploding, terrorism had been unleashed with full force, and the blasphemy law was allowed to take the lives of PPP’s sitting governor Punjab and a federal minister for minorities. Nothing did the PPP government do to ameliorate the problems ensuing from these issues.
The new government led by Mian Nawaz Sharif is indeed facing a huge task. The disorder is widespread and has become contagious over the years. One thing that enjoys consensus today among the ruling and opposition parties is democracy. Also, now is the time to extend the fruits of democracy to the people. Democracy is still at its nascent stage and could still be challenged by the third force if the electorate is not given the right to a decent life. *