The JUI(F) just wouldnt let go. They want the Prime Minister out. Or at least make him very uncomfortable. As far as the PMs public image is concerned, the JUI-F becomes the first party to take him on. Otherwise, Yousuf Raza Gilani has come across in the media as a calm, decent statesman in flattering reviews and as a bumbling, ultimately ineffectual but clean politician in unflattering ones. Perhaps the Head of State is automatically a benchmark so everyone else glows in comparison? Or perhaps memory of his refusal to leave the PPP and doing his time in jail during the Musharraf years goes a long way in maintaining his image?
Enter the JUI(F) after the public spat between an influential senator of theirs and the minister for religious affairs. The moment the premier fired both parties concerned, leading to the subsequent walkout of the JUI(F), the latter pursued a public campaign against the Mr Gilani himself. Other parties have also joined in, including the PML(N)s Pirzada Imran, who has accused the premiers son of being in on the Hajj scam. These are, of course, only allegations and they have been far from proved.
Politics is the trade of the thick-skinned. The moment one assumes public office, the tea-stall legions will reverberate with talk of ill-gotten money and kickbacks. Unreasonable as this line of thinking might be, the actual abundance of corrupt office-holders reinforces certain notions and stereotypes. The Prime Minister just might be the target of those who want to destabilize the system. Removing him would mean, for a minority treasury, upsetting the entire setup. But the Prime Minister should also come clean and clear his name. Not just his sons in the Hajj scam but also from the others allegations that have been doing the rounds in the rumour mills. The first among equals should not only be clean but seen to be clean. The negative trend of depoliticisation that started with the Zia regime was compounded by increasing corruption by civil leaders. Democracy doesnt have much hope if that doesnt stop.
