And all is on the hazard
‘For we are at the stake,
And bay’d about with many enemies;
And some that smile have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs…’
–Julius Caesar
The essence of real power is its indivisibility: as the adage goes, there cannot be two kings in a kingdom, or according to another version, two captains sink a ship. Modern-day constitutions attempt to define the respective powers of the various pillars of the state, often laying down clear checks and balances relating to each organ, in order to maintain a harmonious or workable equilibrium between them.
But, as any student of politics (it is a moot point to call it a ‘science’ because of the unpredictable human element) most things political have a momentum and dynamics of their own, and more often than not, tend to go awry in practice. It is often called the ‘force of circumstances’, perhaps the most potent force of all.
What better (or unfortunate) example, can there be to illustrate the yawning gap between theory and the reality, the slip betwixt the cup and the lip, than our own sorry polity?
It must be confessed that the question of ‘the man who would be king’ in Pakistan has never really been finally settled so far in a mutually acceptable spirit of accommodation and democratic norms by the principal players. The frivolous talk of the so-called ‘Turkish Model’ are really a false analogy in our national context, because the Erdogan government first brought about tremendous economic prosperity in its first two terms of office, thereby garnering mass support for its policies, before taking on the Bonapartist- minded generals.
The concept of the eminence grise, the real power behind the throne, still holds sway, and is exposed especially when a democratically elected(it is immaterial how incompetent, corrupt or ‘unpatriotic’) makes even a feeble attempt at pursuing its own agenda and course, dictated by political factors.
The present round of hostilities is said to be centred round the person of the former army chief, and his trial for treason, on which the ruling party (or a hardline faction within it) seems to be hell-bent, whatever the consequences. The ‘red rag’ verbal barrage of the two Khawajas (one reportedly lovelorn and hence in an unstable state, the other quick on the draw in the best Gowalmandi tradition) elicited a strong response from the incumbent chief at the Tarbela headquarters of the SSG, of which elite force Pervez Musharraf was (embarrassingly?) one ages long ago.
Then there is the little matter of talking to the TTP, with the government determined to follow the ‘jaw-jaw’ path, and its release of 19 (or 32) Taliban prisoners in rather indecent haste, one must admit.
It is only when the civilian government fails to deliver and people justly start complaining that the party of the second part begins to flex its muscles. The ruling party has proved itself utterly inept to confront the array of problems facing the country, it has failed in almost every sphere…
But the army has many other things on its radar, and given its peculiar historical mindset and the ‘drifting’ unfocused nature of the Zardari and now Nawaz Sharif leadership, it would automatically assume that it alone has the will, capability and vigour to tackle the rapidly arising threats to the homeland.
Internally, of course, these are the terrorists holed up in North Waziristan and the worrying expanding reach of the Baloch militants, with the implacable foe and arch-enemy gleefully fishing in our troubled waters.
Externally, the situation in Afghanistan after the 2014 US withdrawal, the possible election of the ideologically anti-Pakistan and Muslim-hater Narendra Modi and his cohorts in New Delhi in the ongoing elections, not to mention the growing hostility of Iran (that accursed $1.5 billion ‘gift’ or ‘grant’ will surely turn out to be a costly ‘Trojan Horse’), and speaking of horses, there is also that dark horse, the MQM leadership, something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, to be factored in, what with its daily dose of whining, complaints and outright threats, now that it is out of power.
At the same time, little has changed (for the better, that is) for the ordinary citizen under the new political dispensation. Inflation is sky-rocketing despite the dollar’s record manipulated fall, the law and order situation is out of control, sectarian killers go about their bloody business unhindered, corruption continues unabated, blasts still take their deadly toll of innocents, and load-shedding, the soul-destroying and utterly demoralizing load-shedding, keeps on increasing (ironically so do the power rates!) by the day, while the whopping Rs. 500 billion paid to settle the circular debt has apparently sunk without a trace.
The politicians have let down the electorate (there seems no limit to this specie’s robust optimism) yet again, and the audacious decisions needed to reverse the rot are nowhere to be seen or felt. Nor is the hard work, with ministerial noses kept to the grindstone in 26 hour working days, by borrowing two hours from the next day!
It is only when the civilian government fails to deliver and people justly start complaining that the party of the second part begins to flex its muscles. The ruling party has proved itself utterly inept to confront the array of problems facing the country, it has failed in almost every sphere, and out-of-the-box or creative solutions have not been forthcoming to provide some modicum of quick relief to people sinking ever deeper into the poverty and debt trap. They appear to be living in their own secluded fantasy world, in air-conditioned ivory towers, apparently oblivious to the appalling conditions facing the majority of their fellow-citizens. Sounds familiar, too!
Despite their popular pretensions, apathy even contempt, towards the vulgar ‘low life’ is the natural outlook of the billionaire politicians, with their massive business interests and assets stashed in safe havens abroad. Their government can only be one of the traders, by the traders and for the traders, hence the tax-amnesties and other ‘whitener’ schemes that mainly characterize their ‘fiscal genius’.
It is obvious that the present weak and wavering leadership lacks the self-belief (talk of its ‘vision’ would be an absurd joke, unless it is tunnel vision combined with a one-track mind), boldness, political will and cerebral power to undertake the admittedly Herculean task of bringing the country back on track. Meanwhile, as everybody knows, Nature abhors a vacuum, and though some of the things the latter is replaced with may prove even more damaging, it must be said that at the present moment, ‘the storm is up, and all is on the hazard…’ And this is a third- time government!
