Builders of status-quo

No place for them in the New Pakistan

Pakistan emerged on the world map on August 14, 1947, as the first Islamic democratic state. A massive transition started from the prevailing colonial status-quo to a genuine republic. Workability of Islam and democracy was put to test. Despite insurmountable odds the founding fathers of the country were able to frame a constitution in 1956. Instead of holding elections in 1958 and ensuring a democratic transition under the law, a usurper took control of the country and derailed the nascent political order. The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has already declared the first two martial laws (Ayub 1958, Yahya 1969) as illegal as such they represent an era of betrayal, treachery and blackmail in which the forces of status-quo tried to reassert themselves.

The 1973 Constitution was unanimously framed by the only freely elected parliamentarians of the country and democracy was restored. The age-long question of ‘Pakistan Ka Matlab Kia?’ was answered for all times to come. The confusion created by the forces of status-quo ranged all the way from Islam to martial law to moderation. Pakistan was declared a constitutional democracy which survived till 1977 when another transition under Zia-ul-Haq struck back at the forces of change. Attempts were made to convert the republic into ‘mullahdom’. Forces of status-quo were regrouped and organised to crush the comrades of change. Cabinet members of this force were as under:

Ghulam Muhammad Khan Mahar, Mir Nawaz Khan Marwat, Agha Shahi, Fida Muhammad Khan, Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Ishaq Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ch Zahoor Elahi, Mir Ali Ahmed Talpur, Liaquat Ali Jataoi, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Ch Shujaat Husain, Sartaj Aziz, Elahi Bux Soomro, Humayun Akhtar Khan, Akram Khan Durrani, Attiya Inayatallah, Abdul Baqi, Javed Hashmi, Sharifuddin Pirzada, Basin Wahoo, Anwar Bhinder.

Zia’s amendments were lethal and the country has not fully recovered till today. Article 25-A of the constitution had declared literacy a right of the citizen to be provided in ten years. Zia’s amendment removed the time limitation and inserted ‘within a reasonable time’, which meant never. Through the notorious eighth amendment the democracy was repeatedly derailed. Finally the Zia amendments were removed but some of the Islamic clauses remain. In principle all martial law amendments to the original document should be declared null and void by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In 1999, the fourth khaki usurper took control of the country and once again the forces of status-quo were unleashed to hound the comrades of change. Cabinet members of disastrous force were as under:

Zubaida Jalal Khan, Nilofer Bakhtiar, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Hina Rabbani Khar, Aamir Liaqat, Raza Haraj, Omar Ayub Khan, Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Rao Sikander, Ishaq Khan Khakwani, Humayun Akhtar Khan, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Aftaab Ahmad Sherpao, Jehangir Khan Tareen, Awais Leghari, Ijaz-ul-Haq, Javed Ashraf Kazi, Nauraiz Shakoor, Sikander Bosan, Liaqaut Jatoi, Zahid Hamid, Ameer Muqqam.

This time around the slogan was ‘Enlightened Moderation’, instead of Islam. In other words, a complete U-turn of the Zia’s manipulation of Islam. Overnight the mujahideen were declared insurgents and the battle lines were redrawn by Pervez Musharraf. Three prime ministers were tried for this nefarious mission (Zafarullah Jamali, Chaudhry Shujaat and Shaukat Aziz).

For change to happen the builders of status-quo have to be identified, cornered and removed from the political arena. The lines have to be clearly drawn; there should be no confusion, the comrades of change on one side and the forces of status-quo on the other. Over six decades of confusion is enough. The future of Pakistan is in the rule of law and constitution. Attack on the constitutional boundaries should be considered an act of treason and sabotage against the state.

The 1956 Constitution formulated by the first elected legislative assembly of Pakistan stands out when compared with the 1962 Constitution. The unanimously agreed document of 1973 has been twice disfigured by khaki interventions supported by the forces of status-quo. Once even in the 1990’s an attempt was made by a democratically elected government of PML-N to convert the country into ‘mullahdom’. The bill for declaring Nawaz Sharif an ‘Amir-ul-Momineen’ could not pass through the Senate and the derailment was thwarted. It is time to restore the 1973 Constitution to its original form and then ensure a free and fair election held by an effective Election Commission. Otherwise the comrades are ready to march on to Islamabad for their right of vote. It will either be bullet or ballot this time with no manipulation.

Despite glaring irregularities, the May 2013 elections results were accepted by change-driven parties, like PTI, to save the system. Change is inevitable and cannot be blocked anymore. Imran Khan and his party are clearly the leaders of change. It is time to reflect, review and reorganise for the ‘Comrades of Change’. The Cultural Revolution in China after the Great Chinese Revolution was to cleanse the system from the forces of stagnation and status-quo. Such a cleansing is required in the country and within the parties. The battle for change rages on, success is within sight as all players are new (prime ministers, president, army chief, chief justice, chief election commissioner) while the comrades are battle hardened and entrenched. A new Pakistan is on the horizon.

The writer is former Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: [email protected]s