PM perturbed

The man with nerves of mush, apparently

For the past few days, the statements of PM Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani have been filled with a strange kind of restiveness, confusion and irregularity. Uptill a few months ago, he seemed like a very balanced and confident man. A man sure of his own surety. When I met him about a year and a half ago, he talked of his political understanding and acumen.

I had a good rapport with the late Hamid Raza Gilani. I met him frequently in Islamabad and there would be long conversations when I visited his abode in Multan. He was a worldly man adept at keeping up appearances. His demeanour was laden with humility. Great men do not make great claims and this was also a characteristic of Hamid saaeen. He was a close relative of PM Gilani but there political paths were often miles apart. When I mentioned him, PM Gilani said he did not consider him to be a successful politician. Whereas the PM thought that he himself had overtaken Hamid saaeen as far as political achievements were concerned. It is a fact indeed that PM Gilani is the first amongst his family to reach the prime ministerial post and he can rightfully be proud of this fact. When talking of Hamid saaeen, he said once they were both reminiscing about their political lives together and Hamid saaeen had accepted that PM Gilani was a better politician and it would’ve been better if he (Hamid) had let his political career grow under his (PM Gilani’s) leadership. But the past few weeks, this kind of confidence is conspicuous by its absence in the PM’s statements. His self-belief seems to be on the wan.

The PM sometimes talks of going to jail. Sometimes of martyrdom. He has even mentioned the distance between Adiyala Jial and the PM house. He sometimes asks his progeny for direction. He mentions his loyalties; declares his son to be Bilawal Bhutto’s brother. He also casts aspersions on the judiciary and expresses his doubts about its integrity. Recently, he went so far as to declare that he faces no danger from a ‘friendly’ judiciary. These are just some examples I have quoted. But it will be exceedingly apparent if one were to analyse the PM’s statements throughout the last year that his tone and tenor does not befit a confident, self-assured man perched atop the highest seat in the country.

He seems to be passing through different emotional states. His statement that a woman proved more capable than many men was mind-boggling. He was talking of dispensation of duties in an administrative post and his statement implied that there was some difference in the abilities of men and women or in their constitutional status where appointment to such posts was concerned whereas that is not the case. Whatever he meant, the way he put it was not befitting of a prime minister. It is apparent that he is under a lot of stress because of the cases being heard in the SC. But should a person occupying such a high post take such stress?

We have seen many leaders go through much more than this but they didn’t let it show. President Nixon was under an extreme media onslaught but he was composed till the very last minute. He was but human too. The pressure must have gotten to him too but he didn’t let the cracks show. Clinton was also made the subject of judicial inquiry. He was made to sit like a common witness and cross-examined. I saw that on television. It was apparent that a leader has to have nerves of steel.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had to face all kinds of injustices at the hands of a tyrant for almost two years. There were many below the belt things done deliberately to mock him. Many outrageous things were done. No stone was left unturned by Maulvi Mushtaq to malign him. A cage was constructed in the high court for the first time for him. He was subjected to torture in the jail. But Bhutto sb didn’t show for a minute that he had been broken. Similarly, Benazir Bhutto also sojourned in prisons and faced countless court cases. But she didn’t despair and her resolve was not shaken in the least. President Zardari has been on board the character assassination train for quite a while which the PM has only boarded a few months ago.

As soon as Asif Ali Zardari became president, he faced a relentless opposition campaign. There is no allegation in the world that has not been levelled against him. Those conducting these campaigns were convinced that he was corrupt and had no right to stay in the president house. Every second month, his exit from the president house would be prognosticated. Stories would be fabricated about his health. Scandals were made out of his foreign tours. Even the judiciary never had any good news for him. Even the immunity he had under the constitution was denied. Even though the clause is as clear as day and there is little room for ambiguity. Despite all this, the president kept his cool and scarcely said anything untoward about the judiciary. He only addressed some media personnel slyly. The way he has faced this onslaught from many quarters, one would think his nerves are made of some reinforced steel which the fiercest fire cannot melt.

But one thing the president has kept a strict control on. His opponents are influential people. The media keeps a close eye on everything that goes on in the president house. President Zardari’s companions and associates also face the closest scrutiny. But no corruption scandal has come forth from the president house. Conjectures and allegations are something altogether different but there has never been definitive proof. Nobody has had the gall to implicate the president or his family in any corruption scandal.

If, despite facing the fiercest character assassination campaign, the president has avoided being accused of corruption, the PM should also have. As opposed to the president, the media has always been friendly with the PM and shown him in a good light. But if still stories about his family were coming to the fore, he should’ve taken personal notice of this. But he didn’t.

As far as the cases against him are concerned, they should have been no cause for worrying. Any decision in those will have political implications. The real reason for the PM’s lack of confidence is the corruption scandals surfacing. But should a PM be so easily disconcerted? If he can’t take this, what would he do if say a war took place? And what of his incredulous remark that says that the judiciary is his friend? Doesn’t it cast direct doubts on the integrity of the judiciary? Dear PM, please take note of your words and actions.

The writer is one of Pakistan’s most widely read columnists.