Is This the Best We Can Do?
By Nadir Khan, PhD
Alta Loma, CA
Recently, the Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan People Party made two momentous decisions which could affect the future of the party and that of Pakistan.
The party has claimed for years that it has sacrificed more for Pakistan than any other political party in the country’s sixty-one year history. The most common examples given are the deaths of the two Bhuttos, both when the e army was in control. There is absolutely no doubt that the deaths of the two Bhuttos were tragedies and did affect the course of Pakistan’s history.
The party has also maintained that its signature has been restoration, promotion, and survival of democracy. Two significant events within the party’s internal structure fail to support that contention. The selection of Mr. Zardari and his son as co-chairs of the party by Benazir does not stand out as an example of democratic action. She had told her son that “democracy is the best revenge”, something which he quoted the other day to reinforce his argument.
Soon after, the Central Executive Committee voted unanimously to vest all decision-making powers of the party in Mr. Zardari’s hand, and he graciously accepted that authority.
What do these two actions say about the party and its leadership? Do these actions really send out a message of democracy to the people of Pakistan? Is this democracy or rule by a dynasty? Is this any different than what is happening in Egypt and Syria? Or, for that matter in many Muslim countries? How can members of the Central Executive Committee cede their democratic rights to a single individual? And what kind of a leader will accept such a proposition? The Bhutto family does not want to answer such trivial questions. They have more important things to do, such as running for the office of the president.
This leads to a more serious question and quandary. The Central Executive Committee has, again, unanimously decided to nominate Mr. Zardari as a candidate for the presidency of Pakistan. What a downfall my countrymen!! Nawaz Sharif was also vying for the same position. What a choice for the people of Pakistan!! One of them was called Mr. 10% during his wife’s rule and is presently the second richest man in Pakistan. He languished in prison for several years on corruption, blackmail, bribery and even murder charges. One should look at the list of his assets on the Internet which was provided to the National Accountability Board (NAB). If you really want to get upset, look at the pictures of his house in Dubai. And now one of Benazir’s relatives claims that Zardari got involved in politics when he married Benazir.
The second does not have a stellar record of leadership either. A sudden champion of an independent judiciary, he forgot the storming of the Supreme Court by his party’ thugs. Ardeshir Cowasjee, the journalist, calls Nawaz Sharif the most incompetent prime minister in Pakistan’s history.
What is really frightening is that in a country of 160 million people we have a choice between two individuals completely devoid of any redeeming qualities. If one looks at the history of Pakistan, there was a time, though a very short one, when there was no dearth of leadership. We had Jinnah, Liaquat, Nishter, Nazimuddin, Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullh, Pir Ilahi Bakhsh and many other stellar individuals and they had one thing in common: they had CHARACTER. And that’s what is missing today.
Some Pakistani newspapers have suggested that anyone aspiring for that office should have the Quaid’s qualities. That is a tall order for today’s Pakistan. Those days and those people are all gone. And we are only left with memories of the good old days. Nostalgia is very comforting and protective and memories sometime come handy in sustaining us through difficult times.
So where do we go from here? Iqbal wanted us to burn down the farm which did not provide enough for the peasant. Can we really do that? I suppose we cannot. But we can claim the ownership as stakeholders in the national enterprise .by taking the first opportunity in throwing out the ruffians whose self-interests are destroying a beautiful country.
Pakistan faces two fundamental problems: the army and an antiquated feudal system.
Both these entities are pulling all the strings and both Musharraf and Zardari belong to these groups. The basic shape of conditions for our citizens is not going to change till the army goes to the barracks and the back of the feudal system is broken. Both of these are formidable tasks and require a level of courage and commitment which is presently not available. But in terms of the presidential elections we could have done much, much better.
Our leaders are symbols of our national identity and the world looks and recognizes us by these symbols. We ought to be ashamed of those people who want to project our image as a nation on the world stage by becoming residents of the Aiwane Sadr.
