Paved with pitfalls
Arif Nizami
Till now the PML-N government has not had a good run. Whether flawed policies and poor judgment are to be blamed or it’s just bad joss? Perhaps a mixture of both.
While the Zardari government had to face the consistent wrath of the Supreme Court headed by Iftikhar Chaudhry, the present rulers are being largely castigated by the IHC (Islamabad High Court) for certain key appointments and sackings. Perhaps the government in its anxiety to fill positions with its favourites or remove some irritants in indecent haste has failed to follow proper procedures.
NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) chief Tariq Malik despite being reinstated by the IHC decided to call it a day and has since resigned. According to reports threats to his family emanating from a Faisalabad-based PML-N federal minister proved to be the proverbial last straw for the embattled head of an organization that did salutary work in the field of data identification and e-governance.
Interior minister Ch. NisarAli in the final analysis succeeded in having his way by replacing Malik with a bureaucrat of his liking. Ex post facto, Tariq is being smeared by the PML-N media juggernaut as being corrupt and a Zardari crony. All this at the expense of the government putting its credibility on the line.
The sacking of PEMRA’s (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) head has met the same fate. He has also resumed charge after being reinstated by the IHC.
Zaka Ashraf is back as the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) head after a lapse of eight months and Najam Sethi appointed by Sharif is now back in the pavilion. Again, thanks to the IHC.
As if this was not enough egg on the federal government’s face the AGP (Accountant General of Pakistan) who was initially suspended and then sacked is back on his job – courtesy the IHC.
Similarly news is not that great on other fronts. Talking to the Taliban remains the priority of the government. Especially Ch Nisar Ali seems to be fixated on the idea of talking to the militants come what may.
Now his boss Nawaz Sharif has come up with another gem. According to him, ‘extremists are not our enemies, they have just lost their direction’. He made this statement of all places in Swat whose populace has been at the receiving end of the wrath of the Taliban.
The question that begs an answer here is, if the extremists who have unleashed rampant terrorism throughout Pakistan are not the existential enemy of the state, then who is? Are the ‘bleeding heart liberals’, who have now been joined in by some erstwhile apologists of the Taliban pleading ad nauseum that talks can only precede military action against them, are the real enemies of the state?
Maulana Fazl ur Rehman’s JUI (F) has been inducted in the federal cabinet as a coalition partner. Maulana Sami ul Haq has already been tasked with opening a back channel with the Taliban.
Obviously the government has chosen the path of least resistance in dealing with extremists. A few more terrorist incidents down the line however, and it will be forced to close ranks with the military in dealing a tough hand to the terrorists.
In the interregnum jaw-jaw with the Taliban lobby within the government is dominating the agenda. Blatant self-interest and short sighted survival instinct is overshadowing enlightened self-interest.
Meanwhile the economy remains in a mess. The SBP’s (State Bank of Pakistan) annual report has downgraded the government projected economic growth rate for the year 2013-14 of 4.4 per cent to between three to four per cent. The IMF on the other hand has projected an even lower growth rate of merely 2-5 to 3 percent for the fiscal year.
This is even lower than the growth rate in 2012-13 fiscal, during the much-maligned Zardari era. And it also makes a mockery of finance minister Ishaq Dar’s tall claim that growth rate in the last fiscal’s final quarter was above 5 percent.
The SBP has hit the nail on its head by calculating the enormous loss to the economy owing to terrorism. According to the annual report the cost of terrorism to the economy is more than the inflow from the CSF (Coalition Support Fund).
It is axiomatic that all efforts should be geared to rid the country from the menace of terrorism. Unfortunately the government and for that matter rest of the political spectrum’s record on this count is very patchy.
Nawaz Sharif has declared that he will take Imran Khan and his coalition partner Munawar Hasan on board in the matter. It is obvious that he is trying to garner support of those who are in favour of talks with the Taliban, at the expense of parties like the PPP and ANP that have a more nuanced approach on the issue.
Nonetheless it’s not merely terrorism that is bogging down the economy. It is perhaps also poor governance. Sharif’s economic team has simply failed to deliver.
The prime minister despite being elected for the third time seems to be in a state of depression and is not perceived to be leading from the front. He rarely visits the parliament, nor does he seem hands-on on most critical issues.
Key appointments remain perennially pending. Alacrity has been shown in removing incumbents in a ham-handed manner to be replaced by cronies or non-entities. This has resulted in unnecessary litigation and embarrassment for the government.
Former military dictator Pervez Musharraf’s trial for high treason was primarily meant to be a diversion. However the matter perhaps not properly thought through before embarked on the trial is turning out to be an albatross around the government’s neck.
Musharraf is comfortably ensconced in a military hospital close to the GHQ, ostensibly suffering from a heart ailment. Now a court appointed medical board (consisting of the AFIC doctors, though) will determine whether he is physically able to stand trial. He has several times refused to attend the court on health grounds. Obviously the military is reluctant to see its former chief indicted by a civilian court.
If Sharif goes ahead with the trial come what may, he risks alienating the army. His record in dealing with past army chiefs is not salutary. He should therefore be careful not to alienate the freshly minted COAS, Gen Raheel Sharif.
On the other hand, letting Musharraf off the hook without a trial is also not a good option. It would not only make Article 6 of the constitution redundant but also implicitly encourage future coup-makers.
Learning the right lessons from history and concentrating on governance is the path for salvation for the PML-N government. Ego issues should be separated from day to day running of the country.
The past government did just that and survived. Instead of being obsessed to wrest control of all institutions it should be concentrating on dialogue and accommodation.
The writer is Editor, Pakistan Today.
