Arif Nizami’s latest article “The Teflon President” has touched most of the burning issues the country is facing today. The much trumpeted suo moto on Karachi situation and its verdict announced by the apex court, PML(Q) and MQM remarriage with PPP, PML(N)’s politics without any vision and direction, rhetoric of long march coupled with sit-ins and Shahbaz Sharif’s declaring President Asif Zardari as not legal because he does not recognise him as president are not only childish but lack commonsense.
President has the knack to keep everybody on board and has proved to be a very clever one in the history of Pakistan. He is very clear about his objectives and will achieve them, not because he can not be defeated, but due to lack of seriousness and faulty decisions on the part of opposition, who at one time refused to accept Gen Musharraf as president but all went running to take oath from him. He is not pushed at all about the decision of the Apex Court because in matter and substance it is a commentary on events known to all of us but no verdict given.
It simply reminds the federal government and provincial government to perform their duties properly and likewise have also wished the Rangers and Police to jointly carry out operation without any discrimination. The verdict is silent about the innocent deaths and that has what surprised every one.
The writer has given startling figures of our dying economy that has no effect on the ruling junta that continues to waste national wealth .Gen Kayani’s stand is justified because US allegations against Pakistan have created a situation in which Pakistan’s security is directly threatened putting the whole nation under intense pressure and alarming fear.
Although Pakistan military’s response has so far been sensibly bold and audaciously prudent, yet there is a need to revisit the whole issue and reconsider US demands vis-a-vis our own national interest. Gen Kayani’s boldness in dealing with Afghanistan and US is on account of people’s all-out support who are ready to sacrifice everything at the cost of saving their sovereignty. Out of this game President Zardari has come out as victorious and let us admit that “The Teflon President” has survived another crisis.
MUKHTAR AHMED
Karachi
