Of unholy alliances

Compromise, my lords, will consign us to deadly currents

The dual-office case against the president has entered an interesting phase. A fresh notice has been issued to him through his principal secretary seeking reply to a new petition demanding the initiation of contempt proceedings against him for not abiding by an earlier Lahore High Court order that had asked him to vacate the political office of the PPP co-chairperson. The court observed that, in spite of having been served by two means mentioned in its June 27 order, it appeared that the respondent (president) was still not represented in the proceedings. The notice comes in response to a fresh petition moved in the court contending that the use of the presidency for political activities was illegal and virtually tantamount to contempt of the court’s orders issued on May 12 last year.

Committing contempt is not a new mechanism in the hands of the incumbent PPP government in its evil bid to prolong its hold on power. In the process, it has already engineered the demise of one of its prime ministers while a second one may be on his way out soon. That, apparently, has not dented its resolve to continue offering more lambs for ‘sacrifice’ in the name of ‘democracy’. While this may pass as a clever game-plan for the government, it reflects the inherent germs that drive the ruling mindset. Resultantly, not only do we have the myriad problems that the state of Pakistan is confronted with which are intensifying with the passage of time, we also have this riddle of how to put the country on the rails that would lead it to salvation.

It is commonly believed that a handshake with crime once makes you a regular visitor to the back-alleys where the tricks germinate exponentially. Is it that the back-alleys of Pakistan lead to the presidential abode which has scripted numerous unholy charters and strategies in the recent past in defiance of the judicial adjudications and the concept of acceding to the rule of law? There is really little that can be offered by way of negating this perception. The presidency has been the incontrovertible home to the drafting and directing of innumerable episodes smacking of corruption and wilful defiance of the laws of the state. The aberration whereby the incumbent continues to live there is rooted in the controversial and debatable immunity offered to him as well as the numerous flaws that the judicial system of the country is afflicted with.

At a different level, the intensifying contradictions that mar our societal behaviour can also be attributed to the manner in which the incumbent majority party was inducted into power riding the crest of a despicable formulation called the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Nowhere in the world, not even under the most draconian of legal strictures, could such a formulation have even been conceived. But, then, Pakistan has been the traditional home to the practice of dubious and Machiavellian tricks to advance specific causes and strategies. A lot of factors contributed to the confluence between the incumbent lead player/s and the international demands at a given moment in time which, though contrary to the strategic interests of Pakistan, advanced the cause of a select coterie that was willing, even eager to play ball. That’s how and why we are where we are.

Initiation of an effort to reverse this gruesome process would require a two-pronged effort. On the one hand, we’ll have to fight the evil openly and bravely at all constitutional forums, failing which in the streets of Pakistan and, at the other end, a team comprising intelligent, competent, proficient and dedicated individuals will have to be put together under an able and inspiring leadership to guide the country out of the mess that it is hopelessly stuck in at this juncture with little prospect of reprieve. Let me state it openly that the system that we have in the country today is corrupt beyond repair and would not allow such a group of people to come forth through the normal ‘democratic’ means. Consequently, we’ll continue to have leaders of the ilk of the Zardaris, Gilanis, Sharifs, Chaudhrys and Altaf Hussains and the country’s march towards an implosion will only accelerate with time. The first occupation of every conscientious citizen, therefore, should not only be to get rid of the incumbents, but also ensure that their likes do not get elected in any future venture in democracy – if at all!

Practically all ruling offices including the president, the prime minister and his charlatans, the ministers, the advisors, those entrusted with running the national institutions that are tottering through various phases of collapse and their brigades of toadies and sycophants have been effectively denuded of legitimacy. They must all march out to the beat of shame. They have, one and all, insulted their oaths of office because of a system that is irremediably corrupt. Instead of salvaging the country, it has become the root cause of its maladies.
Further compounding the crisis is the lack of courage being displayed by the institutions that are relatively functional including the judiciary. By continuing to provide reprieve to the incumbent and other contemnors, the institution has unwittingly become a hostage to the vile tricks of the political mafias and their allies. This is taking us closer to damnation. The judiciary need to immediately break away from this mindset and adopt a course that is strictly in conformity with the strictures of law and apply it indiscriminately and with full force.

There are options available with the judiciary to ensure that its adjudications are implemented. If they are not, it should not hesitate in taking the extreme steps which, apparently, it has been resisting so far. Has its patience helped the country or its people in addressing the grave constitutional and existential problems? Has it brought us any nearer to a solution, or have we drifted further towards the pit?
Patience, my lords, is not the way any longer. Compromise, my lords, will consign us to deadly currents. Time, my lords, is running out.

The writer is a political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected]