Daily Times

On January 13, 2013, Dr
Tahirul Qadri after his arrival from Canada called for an anti- government dharna (sit-in) in Islamabad. A massive crowd moved across Pakistan to Islamabad at his call. The determined mass of men, women and children sat on the main boulevard of the city through rain and cold for four days. Government and opposition political parties were shaken. Government finally capitulated and held talks with Dr Qadri, signing an agreement. Meanwhile, Dr Qadri has formed his own party called the Pakistan Awami Tehreek.

The response of the PPP government was to discredit Dr Qadri; his dual nationality and personal life were criticised. The timing of his sit-in near the end of the PPP government’s tenure and elections was seen as a conspiracy to derail democracy or delay elections. Dr Qadri’s initial rant against the five years of the PPP government’s corruption and incompetence was ignored by the media and the PPP.

Why did Dr Qadri’s call produce a dramatic response from people? For that matter, why has Imran Khan become a hero after being in the political wilderness for 16 years? Both should thank the PPP leader, Asif Ali Zardari, for their meteoritic rise. In one TV interview, Dr Qadri came up with a profound statement, claiming that the response to his sudden arrival was because the PPP government was corrupt and incompetent, and people wanted change.

Every day we experience a new government scam/scandal. There is massive deterioration of law and order in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The inflation rate is unbelievable, and lack of gas and electricity is intolerable. People are appointed in senior positions, and then found to be utterly corrupt. Sectarian bloodshed has reached its peak. We are told that most political party leaders have money stacked in foreign banks and have safe havens abroad.

There is a common feeling that democracy is the best answer to our problems. Pakistan has had one relatively free and fair election (1970), and we lost one-half of the country. Democracy may be the best form of governance but it can lead to divisions rather than unity. We are also told that people have to learn to be in a democratic frame of mind and solve disputes through the ballot rather than violence. This process is supposed to take time. India has had uninterrupted democracy since 1947 and still has the most corrupt criminal element in their parliament. The main advantage of democracy is that there is a mechanism to change leaders without bloodshed.

So far in Pakistan, democracy and religion have been used by the powerful and rich to promote their own agenda. Poised for the next elections, Pakistan has a problem. Their objective is to keep Mr Zardari as president with his immunity intact by whatever means. If the party loses, the top brass of the present government may take off for Dubai. This may be the best scenario for the PPP. With Mr Zardari out of the way, the PPP may emerge as a modern democratic party rather than a dynastic concern.

When Mr Zardari emerged as a candidate for the presidency following his wife’s sad demise, many were horrified. With no experience of governance, he jockeyed for the most powerful position in the country and succeeded. Why?

Mr Zardari has selected the most corrupt people to hold important positions in government-owned corporations with devastating results. These people have either been removed by NAB or the superior courts. Our present prime minister has been implicated in the Rental Power Plants graft saga. The National Assembly and Senate members are there to grab privileges and make money. The economy is in shambles and we now have the fifth finance minister installed a few weeks before parliament is to finish its tenure. Institutions in Pakistan have been politicised and are dysfunctional. Worst hit is the police service, resulting in the breakdown of law and order. The only star for Mr Zardari is that the PPP is going to complete five years, which is the first time for Pakistan. Let me remind you that Italy since 1945 had only one parliament that completed its five-year term. Italy and Pakistan have identical political issues. Corrupt politicians and tax evasion is rampant. Silvio Berlusconi is again vying for the top position despite massive charges of corruption and grave moral issues. Berlusconi “led Italy to the brink of bankruptcy in 2011, who is accused of tax fraud, Mafia associations, exploiting underage prostitutes and misconduct in public office” (Giumelli, Francesco and Maneschi, Davide, “Why Italians vote for Berlusconi”, The International Herald Tribune, February 27, 2013). “The 13-month caretaker government of technocrats led by Mr Monti was routed. The educated European Italians are no better than Pakistanis when it comes to voting. They both look for ‘uomo forte’, the strongman. Beppe Grillo, an ex-comedian (Five Star Movement), is leading a Qadri-style anti-corruption drive, but is unlikely to win significant support from the voters to form a government. However, he has put a spanner in Italy’s politics” (Parks, Tim, “In Italy, illusion is the only reality”, The International Herald Tribune, February 25, 2013).

The gas pipeline agreement with Iran may lead to the imposition of US sanctions on Pakistan. Most opinion polls show that the PPP graph has dropped significantly and it unlikely to win the next elections.

Elections in Pakistan are already in the doldrums. There is no government in Sindh, Balochistan and KP. Punjab seems to be dominated by the PML-N and PTI. The PPP has been knocked off the board in Punjab. The dubious role of the so-called conspiracy of foreign powers (never defined by government) and ‘executive’ agencies in not holding elections has been highlighted by many analysts. We have also to consider the actions of Dr Qadri and maybe the return of General Pervez Musharraf on our political scene. Pakistan is facing the worst terrorist attacks in the form of sectarian killings (M on M: Muslim on Muslim) and bombing of civilians and defence agencies by people never clearly identified. There are fears that if the 2013 elections are held they will be bloody.

A word about the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). It is striving to select the right candidates for the election by putting stringent clauses to make them eligible for participating. General Ziaul Haq had put in a vague requirement for eligibility for elections in the constitution, which in turn would have debarred him from any service in Pakistan. Neither the constitution nor the ECP has the right to debar anyone from participation in elections. It is the basic right of the voting public to decide whom they want to vote for.

I have always maintained that culture is stronger than religion and now democracy. Culture adapts to foreign ideas but never adopts these new themes. Pakistani culture of the powerful shall prevail and the awam (public) will be sidelined in the struggle for ‘democratic’ power. Religious people and parties outright condemn democracy as an un-Islamic foreign intervention.

The writer is a freelance columnist