Daily Times

Khawaja Saad Rafiq the minister for Railways has recently referred to‘back door entries’ into the corridors of power. Khawaja Sahib is uniquely qualified to talk on this subject, as he has seen his father’s political struggle and his own clandestine rise to power through the establishment. Since 1958, the Muslim League has been the mistress of the establishment. It has gone through several name changes during this process. Its past names include PML(C ), PML(J), PML(N), PML(Q), PML(F), to name a few. Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy was so fed up with League politics that he decided to form his own political party called the Awami League, under whose leadership Mujib-ur-Rehman broke away to form Bangladesh.

After 70 years some lessons have been learnt. At long last, the importance of the vote is being talked about. There is talk about restoring and respecting the sanctity of the ballot. All major political parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have shown commitment to the vote as the ultimate arbitrator of power. Meanwhile the PML-N remains obsessed with back doors. Before the emergence of the recently reformed and awakened Mian Nawaz Sharif on the political arena, the GHQ in Rawalpindi controlled the back door to politics. Because of their long stints in power Mian Sahib succeeded in creating his own back doors in Punjab. These included: the Police force, Civil Administration, Education Department whose headmasters control the schools where balloting takes place and the Revenue Department Patwaris and Tehsildars who operate at the ground level. For democracy to take roots all the back doors have to be shut.

The big question is, can the PML-N survive without Takht-e-Lahore? If the party is willing to let go of its hold over the provincial civilian institutions then there can be a way out of the current impasse. However there is a big trust deficit amongst the political forces. A grand dialogue is the way forward. For the ballot to be effective it has to be handled by neutral hands. In over 70 years of our existence the will of the people only prevailed once in 1970.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has repeatedly failed to hold free and fair elections. After the promulgation of the 1973 constitution, Judges of the Superior Judiciary who have headed the ECP, this approach has to be revisited. In India, Administrators are entrusted with the task of holding elections as it is a huge administrative exercise for which the judges lack capacity.

Almost all political parties in the country are unable to hold free and fair Inter Party Elections (IPE). Even PTI was unable to deliver a credible IPE. Democracy has its own dynamics, which is driven by respect for the ballot which is missing in our case. The influence of back doors is overwhelming. Unfortunately, front door using parties like the PTI and PPP have also been infested by such individuals. Most prominent Leaguers are back door entrants to politics including Khawaja Sahib himself. Their political transformation will not be easy, but is a basic requirement for democracy. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela formed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in which leaders could seek forgiveness for their past sins.

The big question is, can the PML-N survive without Takht-e-Lahore? If the party is willing to let go of its hold over the provincial civilian institutions then there can be a way out of the current impasse

In the elections scheduled for 2018, there is an opportunity to shut all backdoor once for all. With ten manipulated elections and two bogus referendums our track record is very poor. Back door politics have been deadly for the nation. Our elected houses are dens of corruption where criminals operate with impunity. The free and fair election of 1970 produced a very able house that worked in the interests of the country. The 1973 constitution is a gift of this assembly.

Quaid-e-Azam appointed the first cabinet of the country in August 1947 which consisted of honest and able individuals. Quaid-e-Awam’s cabinet in 1973 was equally impressive, since then there has been a constant decline mainly due to back door politics. Mian Nawaz Sharif the leader of the house has been sent home. There are serious allegations of corruption against the leader of the opposition as well. The Secretary General of PTI has also been disqualified and so was the Speaker.

PTI Chief Imran Khan has launched a crusade against corruption. In the tainted political arena he remains credible. Despite his popularity and charm he too is being blamed for back door politics mainly because of the people who surround him. He has played a long political innings which spans over two decades. He can enter the corridors of power through the main door and shut the back doors for ever. I am sure he has nothing to lose in a free and fair electoral contest. In the four test constituencies pointed out by PTI in the rigged electoral exercise of 2013 there were clear signs of ‘Chor darwaza’ politics. Khawaja Saad Rafique was disqualified in NA-125 constituency of Lahore, Muhammad Siddique Khan Baloch was disqualified in NA-154 from Lodhran, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq the speaker was disqualified in NA-122, while Khawaja Asif survived in NA-110 constituency of Sialkot purely on technical grounds.

In the changed political scenario PML-N is seeking closure of the back door which seems odd but for the future of democracy the idea is worth exploring. Khan has nothing to lose if the back door party is willing to give up its turf of electoral manipulation. There is an English proverb that is appropriate for the situation:  ‘It takes a thief to catch a thief’. Let us catch all the political thieves by shutting down all ‘Chor darwazay’ that may be in Rawalpindi or Lahore or elsewhere.

The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, he can be contacted at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, January 25^th 2018.