Opposition Leader Ch Nisar is either over-smart or too simple if he believes that selection of upcoming caretaker prime minister will be as simple as he tries to convey to the people in his rocky public appearances: he will propose the name, as if it is child’s play and that’s it: PPP will have to comply with his wish list wily nily.
He is over-smart here. Isn’t he? After all the idea of making the PPP leadership led by maestro Asif Zardari bite the dust by forcing them to sign on the dotting line is quite a tempting one for a ranking opposition leader. So he continues to harp on the same tune in total disregard to what the PPP has up its sleeve, as if he will be able to exploit the constitutional catch that binds the government to indulge in meaningful consultation with the opposition to his favor.
The PPP government is going slow and steady, not at all interested right now to put their cards on the table too early with months left to complete its tenure or respond to posturing on the part of PML-N leader. Of late, jialas are least bothered or pushed by the doings of Nisar, knowing that he is more interested in making personal points when his own party leaders from Lahore are not in any great hurry to wrap up the issue. Anyway, they are more interested in talking with their buddy Ishaq Dar.
But if he is showing disregard for the government what about other big players without which you cannot accomplish much in Pakistan. What about the big players like army and America? Would they play the role of silent spectators with government and opposition allowed to do their pick and choose or enter an expected deadlock if the PML-N continues following its opposition leader? If this is the party line of action then it sounds pretty naïve diplomacy.
Who knows that the powers that be have some hidden agenda to accomplish this time around? And who knows upcoming democratic transition is their big chance to fulfill this agenda having fed up by the political class and the mess they have created in the country in the last over four years, letting down everybody. After all, speculations are already rife that the stage is being prepared for a technocratic order in the country with the blessing of army and judiciary. Anything could happen out of the blue to extend the mandate of the coming caretaker setup. Even if we do not give weight to these conspiracy theories even then we all knows nothing is possible in this land of pure without the consent of the guardians of our national interests.
As if our local guardians are not enough, what about our foreign guardians if not guarantors, especially the US government. How can it be so indifferent when Pakistan is heading for an important change coinciding with the US government’s controversial pull-out from Afghanistan?
As such more knowledgeable political circles in Lahore and Islamabad do not attach much importance to the outings of Nisar outside parliament. Instead they have set their eyes on what the GHQ is up to, often hand-in-gloves with the US on such issues. Moreover, the names proposed by Ch Nisar in his last public appearance are hardly the ones that could be acceptable to the military with their anti-establishment mindset. In fact, GHQ is in search for staff ready to respond to their calls and take their ownership as well.
Already Nisar, it seems, has hashed up the whole undertaking by his party. This is evident from the response from the Atta Mengal on his nomination by the PML-N. It must be embarrassing if not shocking for the PML-N leadership when the elderly Mengal declared the whole exercise as “non-serious” and his nomination a big joke.
The other day I came across a small news item. It was about two brothers, sons of retired army general, one working for PML-N and other attached with PTI. The report was all praise for them as sound economists. A little inquiry into the report revealed that the news was already doing rounds in power circles in Islamabad and these Omar brothers are already hot favorites for the upcoming caretaker setup there, acceptable to not only presidency, but also to GHQ. Even former commando Pervez Musharraf is ready to return if they are the future caretakers.
If this is so then we find that forces that be are way ahead of Ch Nisar and the likes of him with stakes in the present setup. But these are not good signs for the political forces with stakes in the continuity of the political system in Pakistan after the general elections they themselves deemed as mother of all elections and a turning point in Pakistan. Procedures laid out in the 20the constitutional amendment calls upon the stakeholders to engage with a positive and constructive mindset for the selection of caretaker setup to oversee the future elections and not the mindset exhibited by Nisar that would surely land them in a deadlock. Any deadlock on the issue would not only let the initiative slip from the hands of political leadership but would also help out forces outside the parliament to achieve their ends.
