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View Point: Battling for democracy

The saying ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ rings so true on our situation. Just as we were beginning to believe that Pakistan has changed, and that it is no longer possible for the establishment to play its old games, events on the ground said not so soon. Who would have thought that a man of dubious credentials like Tahirul Qadri and zero political standing could be taken seriously? But he has managed to create quite a stir. And some of the otherwise reasonable members of the commentariat are making sympathetic noises, describing his demands as quite desirable. Which is sad considering that everything he wants is violative of the Constitution.

Qadri started with two main demands that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) be empowered and the army and the judiciary consulted for the formation of the caretaker government. The 20th Constitutional Amendment has adequately addressed both issues. Accordingly, the ECP has been empowered to hold impartial elections and Chief Election Commissioner appointed through government-Opposition agreement as well as informal consultation with other parties, including Imran Khan’s PTI. Caretaker governments are also to be chosen through a similar process, in which the army or the judiciary can have no role. Along the way, Qadri kept asking for more, including dissolution of the ECP. During his Islamabad sit-in, he upped the demands further to ask for dismissal of the elected government and the assemblies. Instead of being given importance, he deserves to be held to account under Article 6 of the Constitution for trying to undermine the Constitution.

What is difficult to fathom is Imran Khan’s game. He has announced support for Qadri’s campaign. It may be recalled that the Nawaz League had consulted him for the appointment of the CEC. And he had publicly expressed full confidence in Fakhruddin G Ebrahim as the new CEC. After Qadri’s burst onto the scene, the PTI chairman changed stance to support his call for revamping of the Election Commission. At his Tuesday’s news conference, he threatened to set his ‘tsunami’ rolling to have President Zardari to resign. He must know that the only legal, constitutional way the President can be forced to resign is through impeachment. Anyone who professes faith in the democratic system must not threaten an elected president’s ouster through street agitation, no matter how unpopular the incumbent might be.

The PTI chairman says that Zardari must go because fair and impartial elections can’t be held as long as he is at the helm. The fact of the matter is that after the 18th Amendment, the power resides in the office of the prime minister, not the president’s. At present, Zardari exercises that power as head of the ruling party. Neither Yousuf Raza Gilani nor Raja Pervez Ashraf became prime minister on their own steam; they were selected for the job by Zardari as the party’s co-chairman and hence did as told. The upcoming elections – that is, if the establishment’s machinations to delay them fail – are to be held under a caretaker setup chosen through government-opposition consultations. As soon as caretakers take over, Zardari will be no more than a ceremonial head of state. As for Imran’s insistence that the ruling PPP and the parliamentary opposition headed by the PML-N can’t be trusted to name caretakers, it too makes little sense. They are natural rivals, and hence would want to keep a check on each other’s urge to rig results. Therefore, there is no room for apprehensions expressed by Imran that the two parties would make a deal to achieve an outcome of their liking.

The history of electoral politics in this country is replete with anti-democracy conspiracies. Which is why the Supreme Court’s order on Tuesday in the rental power scam case immediately evoked suspicions of a linkage with Qadri’s mission. Even though the court did not name the Prime Minister, the media ran with the news that the court had ordered the arrest of Raja Pervez Ashraf, and therefore he no longer was the prime minister. Qadri too was quick to claim credit, declaring the news as half victory. As it turned out, Raja was a co-accused from his water and power ministry days in an ongoing corruption case. After the court learned that three NAB officials investigating the case had been suspended, the Additional Prosecutor General of NAB was directed to take “all the necessary steps during the course of the day, and submit investigation reports to the concerned authorities, and to get approved the challans/reference against the accused persons and to cause their arrest… And put up report on January 17.” It was a straightforward instance of the law taking its course. Yet the timing couldn’t have been more inappropriate.

Raja is not a convict yet. He can perform his duties even if arrested. But the morally right thing for him to do would be to resign, letting his party nominate a new man until the appointment of a caretaker prime minister. If the court directive had caused any doubts about the judiciary’s commitment to the democratic system, those should be allayed by the proceedings in another case, also on Tuesday, in which the apex court sought and received assurances from the government that general elections will be held on time, and in a free and fair manner.

It must be said that a large part of the blame for creating the situation which anti-democracy forces are exploiting lies at the door of the PPP leadership. Corruption has become its hallmark. It is no coincidence that the party’s three nominees – one faced arrest warrants even before getting elected – for the high office have had tainted reputations. A long list of public grievances includes bad governance, rampant corruption, energy shortages, sky rocketing price indices, and total indifference to sectarian killings as well as a general reign of lawlessness in Karachi. Without a doubt, the ruling alliance has brought a bad name to democracy.

The only way forward is to have the democratic process move on course. There is no need for the government to drag on for another two months it has left in office. It must urgently consult with the main opposition party to decide on a caretaker setup, and also take its coalition partners into confidence to announce elections schedule.

saida_fazal@yahoo.com

Saida Fazal, "View Point: Battling for democracy," Business recorder. 2013-01-17.
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