Heading towards meltdown

Time to take a deep breath and think
The Supreme Court judgement disqualifying Yousaf Raza Gilani only corrected a wrong that had continued since April 26 when a seven-member bench had convicted the (then) prime minister for contempt till the rising of the court. His tenure since then has been that of a de-facto usurper. The question that the apex court will now have to address is the illegality of the decisions that were taken during this period stretching from April 26 to June 19 including the national budget and that much-publicised visit to the UK accompanied by a battalion comprising seventy odd lieutenants. The entire expense that the state incurred on Yousaf Raza Gilani and his cabinet during this period will also have to be looked into as it is state money that was illegally spent on maintaining a fake ‘prime minister’ and an equally fake coterie of ‘ministers’.
What came as a surprise to some was the rather obsequious manner in which the PPP leadership accepted the verdict of the apex court in the name of the continuation of the democratic process. That does not tell the story. I have repeatedly contended in my numerous television programme appearances that the PPP regime did not have an option but to accept the judgement because it had been told to do so. They have been guilty of stretching the defiance to a point where its continuation would have not only imperilled the democratic system in its present form, it would also have created the raison d’etre for outside interference not necessarily in the shape of the army walking in, but some institutions joining hands to correct the course.
The induction of a new prime minister would not be with an intention to improve the state of governance. It would be to continue the criminal defiance of the judiciary. That would automatically put a time-limit to his stay in the coveted office. Let’s face one inescapable reality. The principal objective of all PPP strategies, including the selection of the next prime minister, is to ensure that Asif Ali Zardari – who was convicted by the Swiss justice for money laundering – is not exposed to the prospect of facing the court again. In the process, governance would be abdicated like in the last four years and all the instruments of the state manipulated in a criminal manner. Mr Zardari continues to sit in the presidency – an office that he was not eligible to be elected to – hiding behind the controversial immunity clause which his legal aides are afraid of asking the court to elaborate. But, the turn of events is inexorably moving in that direction as, indeed, it is essential for bringing to an end the reign of crime in the country in the name of ‘democracy’. That would happen not by ousting the prime minister/s alone, but by going for the jugular of the one who controls these pigmies.
While the state machinery and all its attendant agencies and instruments remain busy saving the occupant of the presidency, the country is showing increasing signs of imploding. The energy riots have bloodied the streets in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In violent demonstrations increasing in severity and intensity with the passage of time, trains have been torched, offices burnt and properties destroyed and looted. These are unmistakable signs of anarchy with the state becoming increasingly weak to either handle the growing unrest, or provide solutions to the multiple crises that have crippled the lives of the people. On the face of it, the government also appears insensitive to the possible destructive consequences if the unrest were to spread to the rest of the country as, indeed, it is likely to in due course of time.
I have been a consistent advocate of the need for the promulgation of the rule of law in the country. This is more so now that the criminal conspiracy to destroy the credibility of the judiciary and its sitting judges has come out in the open. But, we haven’t seen the end of it yet. This can be effectively gauged from the manner in which the candidates for the new prime minister are being selected with the one with a heavier dossier of crimes against his name likely to eclipse the rest. Makhdoom Shahabuddin has confessed to having ordered the increase in the ephedrine quota under instructions from the former prime minister and the ANF has already issued his warrants of arrest. There are also reports that efforts are underway to arrest him as he tries to escape the clutches of law. Raja Parvez Ashraf has the massive RPPs corruption scam hanging over his head. As part of the ongoing proceedings, there is likelihood that he would soon be arrested also. The chances are that the latter mentioned would be the next prime minister. May be, he would turn the country into one mega RPP for all and sundry to have their pound of flesh – but, without a ray of light!
Reports are also emanating that the discontent within the PPP ranks is growing as they see the end nearing. This is but a natural culmination of following policies geared to saving one person by compromising the inherent precepts of public welfare and national interest in the process. It has already outlived its natural life cycle and appears to be headed towards a meltdown. The fear is that it may cause grave damage to the nascent democratic institutions along the way. But, there appears no abating in the self-righteousness of the approach followed so far, or the prospect of a change showing through. In their absence, and with time running out fast, the end is well nigh in sight. Have you heard the coinage ‘revenge of democracy’? Well, it is time to taste it!

The writer is a political analyst and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He can be reached at [email protected]