Turn on the heater in chilly winters and you would not come across the gas to turn your room cozy. Switch on the fan in a suburban area or even in a metropolis in summers and you would not find it soothing the soul- scorching heat. You cannot take a respectable ride while travelling through the public conveyance. You cannot make the both ends meet without wearing some extra wrinkles at your face in early forties. You are not awarded of what you deserve against a sincere toil. Ironically, you can avoid all the calamities mentioned if you belong to the ruling class of Jinnahs Pakistan.
Jinnah, whose vision of Pakistan was based on equality; no matter what caste, creed or color a citizen has. Unfortunately, even after losing the eastern lands, we couldnt practically comprehend the Jinnahs vision of Pakistan. Had we imbibed it when he was still alive, we would neither have lost the lands and nor the waters, nor the security of life even.
Now when we have lost almost everything but hope; and we must be prudently thankful to the independent judiciary, vibrant media and a few patriotic politicians for the noble deed, for they have saved our hope from being lost into extinction for good. And the hopes have grown even stronger especially when the 19th amendment has just been passed which shows that the stakeholders of a modern Pakistan are more eager and inclined to exercise the democracy only.
A purely democratic Pakistan is the great Quaids vision. He categorically said in his policy speech on August 11, 1947 that, If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make.
Nawazs CoP (Charter of Pakistan) also emphasizes the guarantee of the perpetuity of democracy in Pakistan. It can really be a workable proposal if a few slight amendments are introduced. The great Quaid never depended upon or even included the armed forces to ensure the system working safe and sound. Rather he trusted the masses. He founded the structure of a new country with the stone of ballet, and not bullet. Nawaz Sharif should also exclude the forces from the list of the stakeholders whom he is asking for signing a 25 years charter.
Secondly, once the charter has been drafted in association with all the political parties excluding others i.e. the judiciary, media and civil society, it should be put to a referendum, for the masses have elected the chief part of the present stakeholders i.e. legislators for five years only. How then they could be qualified to sign a charter chalking out a 25-years plan?
Along with the other points of the charter, the question of the inclusion of the other stakeholders should be raised in that referendum. If the masses say yes to the inclusion, it is fine. Otherwise, the authority should be left with the elected representative of the masses only. Media, judiciary and the civil society will never do something bad against the state now.
For, it is the media that brought democracy back through covering the struggle of the civil society to restore an independent judiciary. So, no smell of danger from these corners should be sniffed. If to be sniffed at all, that must be from the opportunist politicians and adventurist military generals. To seal them for good, an authoritative and sovereign parliament is sufficient.
However, a new social contract is still needed to be signed keeping the society of a modern Pakistan in view. And that social contract between the state and her citizens could be drafted with the help of the findings after a referendum on CoP. Once drafted, included into the constitution and implemented in letter and spirit, it would be deemed that a step towards the Jinnahs vision of Pakistan had been taken.
AHMAD HAMMAD
Lahore