Daily Times

What our leaders are capable of doing? This question comes to my mind when I think of our history as a nation. I try to take a positive view of our trajectory from 1947 to this day. But certain unwelcome realities trigger a feeling of despair that, more than often, shakes my faith in the patriotism and sincerity of the leaders who had the opportunity to rule this country. Our people have faced poverty, misery and powerlessness in the past seven decades but never lost hope; never shirked from any sacrifice for the good of the country. They have always risen to the occasion with a renewed faith and vigour. Has our leadership ever matched the nation’s spirit and vitality is the question that solicits an answer from the conscious sons and daughters of this country.

Countries are set to the path of development, prosperity and stability by leaders. The system of governance is important but certainly not more than the commitment, honesty and sincerity of leaders that account for the successful odyssey of a society from poverty to prosperity, from powerlessness to empowerment, from social injustice to justice, from darkness to dawn, from corruption to transparency, from inhumanity to fraternity. In a society, good or bad governance, peace or chaos, progression or regression, democracy or oligarchy, rule of law or law of jungle, justice or injustice all are dependent on the leadership that takes hold of state affairs. This is where our fortunes have been in a continued declining curve.

Pakistani leadership does not tire of bragging talk of democracy but their belief in vote count is bound by their victory. We lost the bigger part of the country by disregarding the mandate of Bengalis and we plunged the country into a long dictatorship disputing the outcome of the elections of 1977. The post-Zia leadership colluded with the civilian Presidents to outwit each other. The hunger for untrammeled power was stretched to tame high offices of President, Army Chiefs and Chief Justice culminating in their dethronement and self-exile under a deal. When out of power, their sense of political fraternity becomes more pronounced. The signing of the well touted ‘Charter of Democracy’ is the miracle emerging from garrets of such esprit de corps.

When the courts in Switzerland and London were about to deliver adverse verdicts, they had another deal with sitting rulers resulting in the infamous NRO that washed the misdeeds of all and sundry. The general elections of February 2008 brought the Pakistan People’s Party in power under Asif Ali Zardari for the fourth time. The initial bonhomie shown by the main political leaders was highly reassuring. But this euphoric relief did not last long with our leaders lapsing in their previous hostile mode and lunging for each other’s throat. Nevertheless, they deserve commendation for restoring the 1973 Constitution in its parliamentary form and addressing the thorny question of provincial autonomy through the 18th Amendment.

Leaders are duty bound to set personal examples of submission to accountability showing faith in rule of law and equality before law. The discriminatory application of law to privileged elite and underprivileged citizens is not acceptable to any civilized society

For the first time after 1977, a civilian government completed its term of 5 years and handed power to winners of the 2013 elections. This was a good omen for the fledgling democracy after years of dictatorship despite the endemic corruption and abuse of power both in federal and provincial governments. However, the appointments of the interim Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, members of the Election Commission and Chairmen of the National Accountability Bureau through mutual consultation by the leader of the House and the opposition leader under the 18th Amendment left much to be desired.

The conditions that immediately preceded the elections of 2018 were decked against the Muslim League because of the embroilment of its leader, Mian Nawaz Sharif and his sons in the Panama scandal. The Pakistan People’s Party failed to retrieve its electoral fortunes in the provinces of KPK, Punjab and Balochistan after a thorough rout in the elections of 2013. The results were written on the wall. Against all expectations, the Muslim League contested well denying the PTI a comfortable majority in Punjab. Frankly, even the diehard supporters of the party could not expect so large a turnout of their voters. The loss of power in Punjab came as a heavy fall for the Sharifs.

The accountability both in the House and by the law of the land is a sine qua non for democracy. The process of accountability triggered by the Panama scandal has relentlessly pursued the Sharifs. To protest over a legal injustice is understandable but the opposition’s en masse rejection of the process of accountability defies any sensible explanation. Leaders are duty bound to set personal examples of submission to accountability showing faith in rule of law and equality before law. The discriminatory application of law to privileged elite and underprivileged citizens is not acceptable to any civilized society.

They have all the legal avenues to fight their cases. They appear hell bent on upsetting the applecart of democracy bringing in irrelevant questions from the repeal of the 18th Amendment to the introduction of the Presidential system, declining value of the Pakistan currency and rising cost of living in the country. How comfortably they have forgotten their role in pushing the country into this economic quagmire by resorting to heavy loans to meet their extravagant expenditures and budget deficits. Throughout their tenures, the foreign debt was piling up with the Pak currency losing value from Rs.60 to dollar in 2008 to Rs.124 to dollar in July 2018.

Their noise reminds me of the Pakistan National Alliance’s leaders who launched agitational protests against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto accusing him of rigging the elections in 1977, and landed in the dictator’s prison for long years. The opposition is following the PNA by addressing Imran Khan as ‘selected’ Prime Minister. Their real intent is to have a deal for winding up the process of accountability against the senior leaders from both the Sharif and Zardari dynasties. Have the opposition or the PTI regime been mandated for such bargain by the electorate? A big ‘No’ is the only answer.

The author was a member of the Foreign Service of Pakistan and he has authored two books