Outstanding achievements, colossal failures
The five-year long democratic era is marked by outstanding achievements and colossal failures. The former include the historic 18th and 20th amendments. The 18th amendment restored parliamentary democracy, widened the sphere of provincial autonomy and introduced a better system of appointing the higher judiciary. The 20th amendment brought into existence an independent Election Commission and made the selection of the caretaker setup more consensual. Another major achievement was the 7th NFC award which untangled a knot that had defied consensus for 19 years, with arbitrary Awards intervening since 1990. While the PPP played a leading role in piloting the constitutional amendments, the achievements were the result of a combined effort by all parliamentary parties. The gains were indicative of the inherent strength of the democratic system and its ability to reconcile conflicting interests.
Lack of responsiveness to the common man’s problems was one of the glaring failures of the PPP-led coalition. Thus the gulf between the richest and the poorest continued to widen during the last five years. Power and gas shortages could have been reduced if the government had concentrated on the matter from day one. The setting up of an extra large federal cabinet was the first step towards bad governance which was to characterize the period. Incompetent cronies were appointed to lucrative positions leading to several financial scams that landed the high-ups and their scions in courts. Karachi and Quetta suffered the most under the present government. The former was virtually handed over to land and extortion mafias, some of them enjoying the support of the parties ruling in Sindh. In Balochistan, the provincial government turned out to be so thoroughly incompetent and prone to corruption. The province was virtually handed over to security agencies. Forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings combined with negligence added to the alienation already prevailing in the province. The Punjab ruled by the PML-N too suffered from bad governance as the chief minister insisted on micromanaging the province and the government wasted tens of millions of rupees on unsustainable projects to gain popularity.
The PPP being a minority party had to enter into alliances. It decided to rely on parties some of which had murky agendas and undemocratic thinking. What is more they demanded a free and with survival the prime object, the PPP obliged. A five year long uninterrupted democratic rule leading to preparations for a peaceful transition is something worth celebrating. This indicates a modicum of maturity in the political parties. One can only hope that those who come to power after the elections will build on the basis that has been laid to create a responsive democracy that brings down the poverty graph, strengthens the federal system and strives for peace in the country.
