Daily Times

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

As political witch-hunts go, the one currently underway in Pakistan is about as callously overt as they get, remaining about a step short of outright authoritarianism, and just barely defensible by our populist government under the banner of ‘democratic accountability’. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has become little more than the PTI’s pitchfork. The continual aggressive accusations and failures to prosecute are turning the controversial accountability bureau into a laughing stock. The true tragedy is that none of this a surprise. For a government that has been incapable of delivering upon its pre-election promises on any front – economic, social, judicial, healthcare, foreign policy – or even effectively steer the country through an unpredicted global crisis (as many previous governments have, time and again – lack of precedence is not a justification for incompetence), resorting to the ‘blame game’ to off-set public exasperation and antipathy is a last resort. It is, in essence, an acceptance of its failure to lead.

What is perhaps just as tragic is how easy it has become in the age of information technology to warp the truth and cloud reality simply by overwhelming consumers with an unending barrage of misinformation, negativity, and propagandist half-truths. ‘Diversions’, that contaminate even the greatest and most concrete of achievements of opposition leaders, by shrouding the achiever in a mist of uncertainty – which is easy enough to do with the entire might and machinery of the state at one’s disposal, and the desire to distract an increasingly aggravated population.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari was the first Pakistani leader who emphasized on ‘trade not aid’, thereby setting the path for self-sustenance, by focusing on improving trade relations with the world, instead of simply relying on aid

And no single individual in Pakistan has been a greater victim to this phenomenon than former President Asif Ali Zardari. For years, streams of allegations have been issued against the former President every time he has led the country’s opposition, and for years he has met them with patience and amenability to the procedural requirements of due process. He may well be the only leader who faced 11 years of jail time on basis of unsubstantiated accusations, only to be acquitted. And the same allegations and misinformation techniques have been peddled again and again, only to be thrown out over and over. Today once more, the 64 year old former President, despite facing several health issues, has been regularly appearing in NAB courts, bravely facing these frivolous cases based on obvious malicious intent.

What these unending blackmailing tactics achieve outside the courts, however, is not given nearly enough attention. The attempt to undermine PPP leadership’s achievements over the past 10-12 years through continuous slander may well be at the heart of these tactics that continue to fail to produce results within the system itself.

It may be appropriate then, on the occasion of the former President’s birthday, to take a look at some of the PPP’s achievements under his leadership, and off-set the hysteria being created by certain quarters.

After winning elections in 2008, under the guidance and directions of former President Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP strengthened the country democratically, through the advent of the 18th Amendment, and by restoring the constitutional supremacy and the power of the Parliament. For the first time in the country’s history, a democratic government in Pakistan completed its tenure, and President Zardari set precedent by returning the powers of the President to the Parliament.

The first successful military operation in the country was conducted during the PPP regime, which eradicated militants from Swat and adjoining areas. It was only the resolve of the PPP leadership under President Asif Ali Zardari that political leadership developed a national consensus for the military operation, and successfully took care of over 1.5 million internally displaced people until they returned back to their homes.

Despite having taken over the government during a global economic depression, when trade was down, Pakistan’s exports increased for the first time in the history of the country. Former President Asif Ali Zardari was the first Pakistani leader who emphasized on ‘trade not aid’, thereby setting the path for self-sustenance, by focusing on improving trade relations with the world, instead of simply relying on aid. Pakistan was able to qualify for EU’s GSP Plus status, for the first time only because of several measures adopted by President Zardari’s government.

There is a unique set of characteristics which sets statesmen apart: principles, vision, a moral compass, and an innate ability to unite differing factions. We witnessed it in the fruition of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Long before the formal launch of the project, intensive effort was put into laying the groundwork for it personally by President Asif Ali Zardari and the PPP. The former President visited China alone nine times during his tenure, and helped generate consensus on significant bilateral issues, moving the contract for Gwadar from Singapore to China, because of which the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed the CPEC initiative during his visit to Pakistan in May 2013.

PPP under President Zardari brought major powers like Russia closer, a feat which previously would have been considered impossible. It was because of his personal efforts that for the first time, Moscow endorsed Pakistan’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – another landmark achievement.

Another remarkable accomplishment of President Zardari was launching of the internationally recognized Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) in July 2008, a flagship national safety net system, which is one of the largest poverty reduction programs in South Asia.

One of the signs of a visionary leadership is ‘choosing the right people for the right job’, as we have witnessed in Sindh, where PPP’s provincial government has achieved a number of milestones. In the domain of health, the biggest success of Sindh’s provincial government has been the establishment of hospitals for cardiovascular diseases in the province. One of the crown jewels of not only Sindh, but Pakistan is the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Similarly, initiating developmental projects in poverty and drought stricken Thar, implementing legislation to protect minorities, women and children in the province, to name a few, have been the priorities of the provincial government. Recently, the province has been leading the fight against the COVID-19 nationally, earning unanimous praise from all quarters. The way Sindh government has handled the pandemic only underscores the importance of leadership and foresight.

It is in the darkest hours that the light of true leadership shines brightest. Demonstrating vision, patience, integrity, affability, there can be no doubt of the mettle of PPP leadership over the years. Our history bears witness how President Asif Ali Zardari has remained steadfast in the face of hardships, and braved all unfounded assertions only to emerge innocent again and again. This time is no different. The current regime in Islamabad ought to take heed, and realign its priorities to focus on providing relief to its citizens rather than plotting new ways to politically victimize its opponents because of their political leanings.

The writer is Central Coordinator of PPP Research, Communication and Social Media cell and Patron in Chief of a non-partisan think tank