Constitution vs Pakistan
By Syed Kamran Hashmi
Westfield, IN
After abrogating the constitution twice, General Musharraf has yet again derided the will of the people by scornfully alluding to it as a ‘piece of paper’. In his opinion, the constitution once again, somehow is jeopardizing the existence of the state of Pakistan just as it did in 1999, and any attempt to save the former would invariably lead to the fall of the latter. He expressed his old mendacious rhetoric both in the local media and on international forums. While addressing a group of people in the Aspen Ideas Festival in the United States, he criticized the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government in Islamabad and said, “The state is being run into the ground. As a result, Pakistanis are looking to the military for help in stabilizing the country. The situation poses a dilemma for the military. The military can violate the constitution to ‘save the state’, or it can allow the constitution to be followed and risk the state will fail.”
After listening to the former general, we can discern easily that his carefully crafted statement is highly deceptive. We can also recognize that there is no regret on his behalf for repealing the most precious legal document of the country; there is no remorse and there is no shame. There is only disdain for the civilian authority. Additionally, we realize that 13 years after his first successful coup d’état, the general still contrives to ‘save’ the country and attempts to subvert its constitution, once again.
In contrast, when another politician was asked to clarify his position in the matter of the supremacy of the constitution in a different part of the world, he picked up the question as an opportunity to clarify his position, once and for all, from any ambiguity in the future.
Mitt Romney, who is the Republican Party candidate for the 2012 presidential elections and follows the Mormon Church, recently referred to his Scripture in response to the query raised about his faith and the Constitution of the United States: “Briefly, we believe the Lord himself, Jesus Christ, under the direction of God, established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom he raised up unto this very purpose, and had redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. Yes, a bold doctrine, in that Jesus Christ himself both can state his judgment upon whatever he desires, as well as he speaks to a living Prophet and Apostles on the earth today” (Ephesians 2:20, Acts 3:18,21, Amos 3:7).
The difference in the approach to the significance of the ‘piece of paper’ is clear. While our ex-president refuses to conform to it, the nominee for the same job in the USA considers it sacrosanct and affirms to protect it religiously. General Musharraf is not the first nor is he alone in his impertinence towards the constitution. In 1977, his predecessor General Ziaul Haq had also pompously claimed to possess the demonic powers to tear it apart many times in a day. Back then, it was his expression to ridicule the collective wisdom of the people and today, it is General Musharraf’s more subtle and well-articulated expression. Nevertheless the venom is equally malevolent in both styles.
In the current circumstances, when Pakistan’s chaotic situation is plunging it into the darkness of complete anarchy, his statements reflect the indignation of the armed forces at the dismal performance of the current civilian administration. We can all agree that the PPP-led coalition has failed to revive the economy; it has connived to make the power crisis from bad to worse; and it has ignored the law and order situation. In such a situation, the Pakistan army, understandably, is disturbed to envisage the uncertain future of the country. As a professional organization, it needs a vibrant economy along with a peaceful atmosphere in order to focus on its prime responsibility of protecting the geographical boundaries of Pakistan.
However, the security of the borders should not come at the cost of sacrificing the ideological framework of the nation that is represented through its constitution. Although it can be torn apart many times in a day, yet the nation ultimately has to pay an enormous price to put it back together. General Musharraf and any other army chief in future has to understand the delicacy of the constitution and the dire consequences of its revocation. We need to believe that it is only the constitution that binds people of various ethnicities together to become a single nation. It guarantees them their rights and these documented reassurances keep them linked with each other. If this contract is violated, the whole country breaks loose and shatters into pieces. We are both witnessing and suffering through that in Balochistan, FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We are paying the price of our lost decade and are barely surviving on the ventilator. Another action to save the country against the constitution would be detrimental and be equivalent to pulling its tube out. That is exactly why, more than ever today, the constitution demands ferocious protection, and commands us to develop the will to preserve and safeguard each word of it religiously.
skamranhashmi@gmail.com
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