Pakistan At 62

August is a blessed month as 62 years ago a new Muslim country appeared on the world map in the form of Pakistan. The creation of Pakistan was nothing short of a miracle as it was created after thousands of sacrifices. When the time to get rid of the British rule in India came, Hindus began to think that they will now have the opportunity to rule Muslims.

According to the world acclaimed system of politics, democracy, Muslims would have been in minority, while Hindus would have fulfilled their dreams of ruling India as they formed the significant majority. This thinking of Hindus was gauged by the visionary personality of Allama Iqbal and he brought forward Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the leadership of the Muslim League. Thus, it was because of the efforts and pains taken by Qaid-e-Azam and the Muslim League that Pakistan was created.

Separate Homeland of Indian Muslims
After a period of seven years since the Pakistan resolution, Pakistan was created and hence the dream of a separate homeland for the Indian Muslims was fulfilled. After the creation of Pakistan, thousands of Muslims had to migrate from India to Pakistan. During this journey Hindus and Sikhs began killing Muslims and they did not even spare women, elderly people or children. The ones who were spared of their atrocities were able to reach Pakistan. This migration reminded us of the Migration from Mecca to Medina by the holy Prophet Mohammad.

A lot of people migrated to Pakistan just for the sake of Islam. The Pakistani people also replicated the Ansars of Medina and welcomed the Mohajirs with open hands; hence a new Pakistan began its life journey. The country was established for the sake of Islam, but it has largely remained the domain and politics of the Muslim cleric, chants of the opportunists and in the hearts of ordinary Muslims.

Basis of Ideology
The country was created for the sake of democracy, but it largely became subservient to the wishes of the Army, who ruled over the country for more than half the time since the existence of Pakistan. This country was established on the basis of an ideology, but it was broken down into parts. By losing Bangladesh, we allowed Indira Gandhi to critically state that she has dumped the ideology of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and has taken revenge for being under the slavery of Muslims for years. The man who raised the slogan that "we will live here, while you live there" received a lot of appreciation for holding an Islamic Conference in the remaining Pakistan, while, in fact, it was organized to recognize Bangladesh. Politicians have always proven to be incompetent. That is why the Army gets an opportunity to come to power, however, the interesting thing is that the idea of municipal level democracy (basic democracy) has always been put forward by the Army generals, while the politicians have been wary of holding elections within their own party so that their dominance within the party does not wither away.

Derive Personal Gains
Religious cleric, generals, clerks, or politicians, and even every person working in any capacity have looted the country to derive personal gains. The way the country has remained into existence is nothing short of a miracle. Despite looting and incompetence, some good people have also come to this country and God has taken the desired work from them.

If you take the example of Ayub Khan among the dictators, he achieved a great feat by establishing a new city in the form of Islamabad and making it the federal capital, he built the Tarbela and Mangla dam, and he is credited for discovering the popular leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He used to call Ayub "daddy", although later he stood up against him and became a popular leader. Bhutto achieved the feat of flour and sugar shortage in the country and in addition, he did great damage to the country by nationalizing the domestic business enterprises and educational institutes.

Under the garb of feudalism, Bhutto raised the slogan of "Roti, Karpa or Makan" and made the common man stand in queues for daily commodities. Despite numerous faults, he had charismatic leadership abilities and is credited for creating political awareness among the masses. The 1973 constitution is an achievement of Bhutto and the will to create a nuclear weapon for Pakistan even if the citizens of the country will be made to have grass to sustain itself is another of his accomplishments. Steel mill, atomic program, the 1973 constitution, and giving the proletariat an identity are the achievements of Bhutto, but he was too hungry for power and this hunger led to the separation of Pakistan. If he would have allowed the assembly session after the elections to take place in Dhaka, Pakistan would not have split into two halves. The same lust for power forced him to commit the heinous crime of rigging the elections in September and General Zia-ul-Haq benefited from this stubbornness of Bhutto. Gen Zia was once the blue eyed boy of Bhutto, but once Gen Zia saw the opportunity he lunged on to power by pushing aside Bhutto. Despite being a dictator, Gen Zia showed good political acumen and he had complete control over the affairs of the country for a decade. Gen Zia tried to Islamicise the Army and shut down any alcohols dens in the Army to infuse the spirit of Islam in them. He became the heartthrob of the Muslim world by supporting Afghanistan in the war against Russia. After the death of Gen Zia, democratic era came back to the country, as Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif jostled for power between each other. The public became dissatisfied with these democratic governments and they also failed to complete the tenure of their respective governments.

Rule of Dictatorship
In Pakistan, democratic governments and military dictatorships repeated past mistakes, which led to their downfall. During the past decade, a military dictator came at the helm of power after sending Nawaz Sharif to exile. Apparently, he looked like a person who is a panacea to all ills in the country, but his actions have shown that he caused the most damage to the country as compared to other national rulers. Former President Pervez Musharraf prevented Nawaz Sharif from returning back to the country, he also benefited from the self exile of Benazir Bhutto. He experimented with new strategies that shook the foundations of the country. He washed in blood the whole area from Waziristan to Red Mosque, and sowed such seeds of lawlessness that his descendants are cutting the harvest.

Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto displayed exemplary understanding by apologizing for the past grievances and dispute between them and prepared a document like the charter of democracy. Although, this was not acceptable to fate and the antistate elements and they removed Benazir Bhutto from the way and when the time for Musharraf to leave power came he handed over the governance to people who are strictly adhering to his policies.

Numerous Ups and Downs
The past 62 years of Pakistan have witnessed numerous ups and downs, but the county was able to progress in the right direction, although at a snail pace. A dictator like Ayub Khan gave the country a new capital and dam projects, while a political leader like Nawaz Sharif constructed the motorway, laid down the foundations of the Gwadar port, and established new airports in Karachi and Lahore.

The creation of Pakistan was not an easy feat since it was not acceptable to both the British and Hindus. It was only acceptable to the supreme creator, God. Hence, God has taken the mantle of protecting this country. That is why false intentions of India have not been backed up with actions on the ground.

Nuclear and Missile Development
Pakistan may be in a pathetic state, but it was blessed to have a great scientist like Abdul Qadeer Khan. The nuclear program was initiated by Ayub Khan, which was ably carried forward by Bhutto and finally Nawaz Sharif carried out the atomic bombs in reply to those done by India. The missile capacity of Pakistan is even perceived as a threat by Israel, and Al-Khalid is also a much talked about missile in the world. Unfortunately corruption, nepotism, and the failure to adhere to merit standards have not allowed the institutions to properly grow in the country.

In the past few years, the media have also become mature and independent and they have started creating awareness in the public. The media played a frontline role in the lawyer movement against the maligned intentions of Musharraf and now the judiciary has become an independent and important institution that is playing a key role in the country. It is hoped that this process of awareness will continue and the common people will be more honest and responsible in the selection of its elected representatives. As a result of this the institutions in the country will strengthen and hence the country will become more powerful.

Pakistan Abates Political Crisis

It is a fact that there are defining moments in the life of every country. The present crisis that had gripped Pakistan seems to have been defused somewhat with the Government accepting the demands of the agitating lawyers and Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N). The Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani on March 16, 2009 announced the reinstatement of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges who were sacked by Gen Pervez Musharraf in 2007, and thus brought to an end the political crisis which had gripped that country for more than a week.

The Prime Minister Gilani even went a step further and revoked the ban on political gatherings in Punjab and Sindh Provinces, and ordered the release of all political activists who had been arrested in the protests so far. He also indicated that Governor’s rule in Punjab province would be scrapped — although no time frame has been set for this — and formally announced his Government’s intention to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order banning the Sharif brothers from contesting elections or holding public office. If all of this sounds like a huge capitulation it is because this is precisely what it is.

Victory for Nawaz Sharif
The judicial status quo ante will be restored with deposed Chief Justice Chaudhry to be reinstated. The restoration of Justice Chaudhry as Chief Justice after two years of the lawyers’ agitation meets Sharif’s key demand. The PML (N) leader, twice a Prime Minister, had refused to enter into any kind of deal on this question, which increased his following among the public considerably. The judicial issue had, in fact, acquired emotional overtones because of the support of civil society.

Sharif has pulled off the unthinkable, and is the toast of the classes that engage in active politics in Pakistan. To his credit, the former Prime Minister conducted himself as a stalwart political figure. He led from the front, and showed remarkable nerve and negotiation skills, which helped the country from tipping over the precipice.

The stand-off with lawyers and Nawaz Sharif, and the subsequent climb-down, have considerably weakened the President Asif Ali Zardari, who has shied away from public contact since September 2008, and eroded his credibility. But political observers describe him as a survivor and expect him to live with the humiliation.

The next round of the battle is expected to be fought in Punjab province, which elects more than half the members of the National Assembly. The provincial government headed by Shahbaz Sharif, younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, was dismissed and central rule imposed in the province after the supreme court debarred the brothers from holding public office. Sharifs claim that the ruling is vitiated and relied on old and politically motivated cases.

But while the PML (N) is the largest party in the provincial Assembly, it does not have a majority. Zardari’s PPP is the second largest party and a smaller party, said to be loyal to Musharraf, holds the balance of power. Any attempt to deny power in Punjab to the Sharif brothers might lead to yet another stand-off.

The latest such political struggle has represented a slight variation of the theme. The person who has been left cock of the walk is Sharif. The presidency of Zardari has emerged isolated within the Pakistani polity and its authority severely reduced. Zardari showed remarkably poor political acumen when he declined to reinstate the popular Justice Chaudhry, and then backing Supreme Court’s decision to nullify Sharif’s election as Governor of Punjab.

Roles of US and Army
The agreement between Sharif and Zardari has come about obviously with the intervention of Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani. It seems that the Army had been in favour of conceding the demands of Sharif, though hated by top Generals, to ensure that he was not able to make use of the lawyers’ agitation for his wider political objectives. That is why Gilani, who is in the good books of the Army, had been trying to convince Zardari for a few days to take the course he has chosen after much loss of face.

The defection of Gilani and his own failure to win the backing of either the Army or the US Administration left Zardari little choice but to throw in the towel. At the moment, Sharif has used the crisis to consolidate his position within Pakistan. First, he has ensured that Washington, until now the main opponent of his political resurrection, has accepted that he is the primus inter pares in Pakistan’s political pantheon. Second, the past few days of political theatre have wiped out popular memories of the authoritarian bent he showed before being overthrown by Musharraf. Finally, and most important, he has shown Zardari to be a President minus support or credibility to both external and internal players in politics of the country.

Moreover, it is encouraging that the Army chose not to intervene directly, although Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was constantly in touch with Gilani. This is how it must remain: No matter how wobbly a civilian Government, the Army is not a better alternative. Pakistani democracy must learn to stand on its own two feet and resolve disputes through dialogue. But most of all it should learn that it is not the Sharifs or the Zardaris but the ordinary people of Pakistan who can change the destiny of the country — and rescue it from the Taliban waiting in the wings.

And sure enough Pakistan did not disappoint, nor did the US. In trying to clamp down on the protesting lawyers and Opposition activists the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Government unwittingly gave Sharif the fuel that he needed to ignite a raging fire. It will be interesting to watch how the PPP’s internal politics articulates itself and how the country’s most influential political formation deals with the widower of its assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who has lately exhibited his political bankruptcy. The degree as well as the process of accommodation between Gilani and Sharif is certain to be keenly watched in the present environment.

Restoration of Democracy
Undoubtedly, the recent instability and political events in Pakistan have confirmed it is that the Pakistani establishment is still a long distance away from coming to terms with a modern democracy. Even though most in Pakistan will acknowledge that democracy is the best form of governance, no one — least of all the Pakistani leaders — has the slightest idea what this means. As a result, whoever comes to power in Islamabad is extremely insecure, a fact that was amply demonstrated by Zardari’s Government. Democracy does not mean coming to power and using State instruments to crack down on political opponents. Neither does it mean taking to the streets and clashing with law enforcement personnel in a show of strength.

The restoration is by itself no guarantee of an independent judiciary, although it can provide a good foundation. Justice Chaudhary’s return — he is to take charge on March 22 after the present Chief Justice retires — may raise issues of constitutional propriety unless the government is prepared to go one step further and review the post-November 3, 2007 judicial and constitutional changes, all upheld by the Supreme Court. But for now, Pakistan is savouring the moment.

No matter who holds the office of President, extraordinary powers in the President's hands cry out for abuse. Many are suggesting a return to Constitution of the country as it was in 1973, before Zia ul-Haq and other military rulers began tampering with it in order to increase the powers of the President. Such a constitutional change, together with allowing the judiciary to operate independently, may be what it takes to restore stability in Pakistan. It is the time for the people of Pakistan and their political representatives to work together to peacefully strengthen their democracy. Otherwise political instability such as the latest one it has just seen will recur.