Daily Times

By the time this article is published, it is possible that an interim government of Pakistan may have been sworn in. It is also possible that it may not have happened! It is interesting to know as to what has been rumoured before the ‘interim government’ and what can take place afterwards.

At the time of writing of this article, a host of names is cropping up as potential prime ministers of the interim set-up. The list started with the name of Honourable Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and two others. Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s name also appeared. It was followed by a host of other names. Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan volunteered to become the interim prime minister and solve all problems facing the country in a very short while! Recently, some lesser known names have been coming up. Finally, six names were under consideration. It is also said that Mr Tahirul Qadri will have to make a nod. This was an arrangement agreed upon after the ‘Long March’. There is not much talk about it anymore. The consent and agreement of all political parties, the opposition, and government seems like a very tall order. These parties are known for only agreeing to disagree! However, the only compulsion that may keep them together will be that if they do not arrive at consensus then they lose their right at midnight of March 16, 2013, and the responsibility of nominating an interim prime minister passes on to the Chief Election Commissioner via first the parliamentary committee.

In such a situation, some legal experts think that a prime minister will need to be there without any gap as a constitutional requirement. Now either the parliamentary committee does it or the Chief Election Commissioner does it. Some legal minds say that the election commission can take up to a maximum six days to nominate the prime minister. So there are options and complications and the matter is not as simple as some may have thought.

Once the interim government is in place its prime responsibility is to hold ‘free and fair’ elections according to the constitution of Pakistan, which is again a very tall order, and there will be very few lucky candidates who pass the test of Article 62 and 63. However, the interim government will need to take care of the ‘day to day’ affairs as well. This includes law and order and the economy. They will also need to pass the budget, which is to be presented in the month of May. These are no small tasks. In reality, the interim government will need to shoulder all the responsibilities of a regular government and also extend full support to the election procedure. Can all this be done within the time available to the interim government?

If the interim government needs more time, then what? The requirement that elections should be held within 60 days, poses another problem. The month of May is most important for the agriculturist community, which forms over 65 percent of the population. May is the month when crops are to be cut and saved. It is a very busy month for agriculturists, and it is very challenging for them to give preference to election campaigns. Again a case for the postponement of elections to a later date revolves in several minds.

There are also talks about an ‘arrangement’ between the two major parties to manoeuvre matters in a way that they retain power. It is said that in the post-election scenario there is some understanding to give the prime minister’s slot to the PML-N and let Mr Asif Zardari continue as president. This will indeed be far from the ‘change’ that many political parties like the PTI, APML and Awami Tehrik of Mr Qadri are looking for. This will mean more of the same thing as in the past five years. Generally, it is felt that the people of Pakistan have been disappointed by the performance of the current national and provincial governments and they want a change for the better.

In short, uncertainty and even turbulent times may be ahead. The people of Pakistan have been disappointed by the performance of the governments in the democracy of the last five years. Many have doubts about the suitability of the present democratic system. Maybe it does need to evolve. The fact that it is overburdened by influential landlords, Waderas, Khans and Sardars, money mafias and gun mafias is hard to deny. A free and fair election will mean that these influences be controlled and competent candidates come forward. Also to be considered is the very high cost of electioneering, which has become far beyond the means of an average individual. Further strangely, the Diaspora is deprived of meaningful participation in the electoral process. Given all these facts, what results can we expect?

People expect clean and capable persons to run the country and make it move forward. They want an end to the ethnic and religious divide. A religious state is a phenomenon under question. Corruption and compromise of sovereign rights are not acceptable. Terrorism is being understood as having no religious sanction at all. It is a game played by foreign and local mafias for destabilisation and to prevent development and progress of the nation. There is wide awareness in the public and they can see through things. The Election Commission and interim government will be at a crossroads. They may lead to an era of prosperity or chaos and gloom. Let them not underestimate the importance of the task ahead.

The writer is the former CEO Pakistan National Council of the Arts; Chairman Fruit Processing Industries; Chairman UNESCO Theatre Institute Pakistan; COO ‘ICTV’ USA, and currently, Senior Vice President APML(Central). He can be reached at naeemtahir37@gmail.com