Daily Times

What is going on in Pakistan? The failure of the Nawaz Sharif government is beyond doubt now. The incumbents’ greatest fault is poor governance, which has sadly become the norm in Pakistan. Poor service delivery has alienated the masses like never before. The Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is more popular than ever. Civilian space is becoming more and more restricted by the day. The Nawaz government’s performance, being dismal, the COAS’s power is now largely by default. Notwithstanding the Nawaz government’s claims, the overall performance is pathetic, to say the least. Much was expected from the PML-N but disappointment reigns.
Instead of proper planning and bold action against terrorism, delay and procrastination have become hallmarks of the style of governance by the Nawaz government. Again, notwithstanding the tall claims made by our Prime Minister (PM), the civilian leadership has been both clueless and without any vision on how to tackle the various challenges confronting Pakistan. The PML-N has been focused on infrastructure development only. There is nothing wrong with that but a balanced approach is sorely missing. Meanwhile, the masses have suffered as economic growth has not been trickling down to them, as was expected straight after the elections. Maybe it takes time for a new government to adjust but the poor of this country cannot wait so long. Desperation and alienation have set in the general public as only a tiny segment of the population has prospered. General Raheel Sharif, the army chief, has moved gradually and surely to gain influence in Pakistan. The mandate of the military has now been extended from security to ending corruption also. Thus, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the federal anti-corruption agency, has started functioning now. The Rangers have started successfully cleaning up the criminal-political-mafia terror nexus in Karachi. The once hapless people of Karachi now allow themselves to feel joy at the turn of events in the city.
The military’s encroachment of civilian ruling space continues to expand unabatedly. The most powerful man in Pakistan is not the PM but the army chief. General Raheel Sharif seems honest and means business. He looks bent on cleaning the country of corruption and terrorism. The general is also perhaps the most popular man in Pakistan today. However, the greatest challenge remains. Pakistan is still faced with the existential challenge of terrorism, extremism, corruption and outright criminality. It is not going to be easy to clean up the mess that is Pakistan now. Past military actions have also contributed to this poor state of affairs. Everyone shares blame in the creation of the mess that is Pakistan today. Terrorism can only be eliminated through a comprehensive strategy in which all are on board. This requires commitment, patience and resolve.
The army chief has taken command of the situation in the absence of proper governance and the nation has ended up supporting him as there is seemingly no alternate to this state of affairs. Meanwhile, the Nawaz government is becoming defensive and is clearly unnerved by the sudden turn of events in the country. The greatest challenge for General Raheel Sharif remains, however. The military cannot do it alone and neither can the elected PML-N government. It almost seems as if a new dispensation will be worked out with General Raheel Sharif clearly in command and the Nawaz government following his directives. The chances of a coup d’état are zero. Given the situation in Pakistan and the region, a military takeover would prove to be catastrophic and therefore cannot be imagined. Most importantly, the military brass realises that military rule is also no solution to Pakistan’s complex and myriad problems. Maybe a new version of ‘controlled democracy’ is in the making. Desperate circumstances require new out-of-the-box thinking. We need to ask ourselves what we want as a nation: the rule of an army strong man or a government that gets its at together and works for the betterment of the people?

The writer is a freelance columnist