As a Muslim League (ML) child who grew in the midst of Long ‘Marches’ and ‘Dharnas’, it is very unusual and strange for me not to be there this time. In October 1958 at the age of five I stood with my father to receive the ‘Long March’ led by Khan Qayyum Khan the President of ML. instead he was arrested by the Viceroy of Pakistan and taken to the dungeons of the Lahore Fort to be kept in Mughal style internment. The upright and able leader could not take it and decided to retire from politics and go home, because his basic human dignity was being threatened.
While all the marches I have participated in were for democracy this is the most confused onslaught on the capital, at best it can be termed as a “Grand Diesel Alliance March”. In the two most recent marches that reached Islamabad (Lawyers March 2007, PTI March 2014) the objectives were very clear. The lawyers March was for the rule of law while the PTI March was for free and fair elections. Both were noble causes, that is why there was widespread, across the country support for the marchers which was missing in the latest dharna.
The ‘Lawyers March’ was spectacular, the entire country was on the road to support the marchers. There were stalls of food, music, drums rose petals were showered as we drove through. Early morning we reached the city of Jhelum, there was a big jalsa on the banks of the river. Speeches of Comrade Anwar Kamal and Ali Ahmed Kurd were impressive. The PTI youth flotilla organized by Comrade Ahsan Rashid was full of energy and vigour, change was in the air.
Like Turkey the motherland is looking for an Erdogan. For this to happen, Erdogan’s political journey has to be understood
The ‘PTI March’ of 2014 was charged and emotional but not as well organized. The party in power made it difficult for the marchers to reach Islamabad. In Gujranwala the goons of PML-N fired on Kaptaans container. It was Javed Hashmi who saved the day by reorganizing his former party rogues, the marchers were allowed to pass through on his personal intervention. After exhausting all avenues of relief the PTI elected representatives tendered their resignations to join the March while denouncing the parliament and what it stood for.
Marchers came in all forms, the ideology driven are most committed. Then there are the indoctrinated types that are part of the current sit-in, the hired types are the worst. Most religious parties use indoctrination and discipline as seen in the current dharna by the control of ‘Ansar-ul-Islam’ the militant wing of JUI-F. There was a unique type of passionate ‘Jiyalas’ that People’s party once had while all brands of Muslim Leagues mostly rely on hired workers and marchers or establishment support.
The ‘Grand Diesel Alliance’ led by the Maulana has nine parties which is similar to Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) that launched a movement against Bhutto in 1977. It eventually resulted in the collapse of the democratic order from which Pakistan still continues to suffer. Political parties that have been in power since 1977 have robbed this nation of its future. The biggest casualty is Bhutto’s party which has lost its direction and legacy under the Zardari’s. Today there is a clear divide those who desire to keep the country in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and those who seek a healthy and prosperous Pakistan.
It is a fight for the health of the republic. The Grand Diesel Alliance’ is committed to supporting status-quo while Kaptaan is passionate about building ‘Naya Pakistan’ as it was till the dreadful eighties set in and destroyed both the country and its democratic order. It was Benazir Bhutto who led the charge against the undemocratic forces operating under the tutelage of Zia-ul-Haq. In the 1988 elections PPP emerged as the single largest party. in order to gain power, she made several compromises including ‘Diesel Politics’. After her dismissal a right wing alliance IJI (Islami Jamhoori Ittehad) also emerged on the scene. PPP kept its progressive course till it signed the ‘Charter of Democracy’ (COD) with the IJI created political outfit PML-N. Under Zardari, PPP has lost its ideological base and has turned the once progressive movement into a party of interests like other establishment created parties (PML-N, PML-Q, MQM, MMA, IJI etc.)
The ‘Grand Diesel Alliance’ is retrogressive in nature like PNA of the seventies and IJI of the nineties. Eventually such outfits hurt the democratic order. PPP was the first political party of the country that came into being without the blessings of GHQ, with Kaptaans PTI being the second. All the progressive forces of the country firmly believe that the Khakis have to return to the barracks for Pakistan to move forward. Like Turkey the motherland is looking for an Erdogan. For this to happen, Erdogan’s political journey has to be understood.
Ataturk’s Republic was anti religious not secular. Erdogan emerged from the religious right that was cornered and prosecuted in Turkey. He first managed to take over Istanbul as Mayor and delivered results. On the strength of his performance he got elected as Prime Minister. With Turkey’s march to prosperity he gained strength. Today the country is secular, the anti-religious forces are contained the Armed Forces are in the barracks, the march towards development continues. Retrogressive status-quo forces like JUI-F cannot deliver change.
Pakistan’s Erdogan will not emerge from alliances like the current ‘Grand Diesel Alliance’ or the PNA or IJI or MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal) of the past. That leaves only two political outfits to lead the charge, People’s Party of Bhutto not Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of Kaptaan minus the band wagon of electables. Change calls for purity and passion which is missing in the components of all these retrogressive alliance both current and past. Pakistan has to move forward not back words.
The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation