Puppet prime ministers and dummy cabinets
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) was the last real prime minister of Pakistan, all the rest of them have been handicapped puppets. Muhammad Khan Junejo tried to be his own man within the domains of the 1973 constitution but was soon undone by the forces of status quo. The Benazir-Nawaz charade continues and now the viable third option of the “Kaptaan” is being neutralised by the same elements. The big question is who will skipper the change movement which is at the brink of eruption?
Pakistan is ready for change. Status quo and business as usual cannot continue. The issue is complex and complicated. According to Noam Chomsky, it is not the radical Islam that the West fears, it is the independence that it fears. No nation can progress without independently elected leadership and functional institutions. The founding fathers of Pakistan, despite having odds against them, were able to create an administrative mechanism that was relatively corruption free. Even the politicians were upright. In the words of Wali Khan: ‘Despite our differences we never blamed Qayyum Khan for corruption nor did he’. Overcoming hiccups and obstacles, the 1956 constitution was also framed. Elections in 1958 under this document would have launched the first sustainable constitutional Islamic democracy of the world.
Winning and losing independence is a unique experience for the nation. August 14, 1947, was the beginning of the journey which was disrupted in 1951 with the murder of the first PM and then in 1958 when the entire democratic order was eliminated. We fought back for our independence. The lure of development and the propaganda of a golden era could not save the usurper and he had to step down in 1969.
The forces of change pushed on. The dawn of democracy emerged. Free and fair elections were held in 1970. Establishment agenda was rejected but the resultant military action dismembered Quaid’s Pakistan. ZAB being the elected leader of West Pakistan picked up the pieces of what remained and a new democratic country emerged under his leadership. The unanimous 1973 constitution was a major milestone that has survived two incurious and has been largely restored except for the Zia’s Islamic amendments.
The toppling followed by the judicial murder of ZAB was a result of an international conspiracy. Zia brought our independence to a halt. Article 25-A had declared literacy a right of the citizen to be provided by the state in 10 years. By 1985 all Pakistanis should have been literate had it not been for Zia’s amendment that replaced the 10-year time limit by ‘within reasonable time’ which meant never.
Four dictators and several puppet PMs have been responsible for our decline and weakening of state institutions, carefully built by the founding fathers with their sweat and blood. Manipulated elections (1977, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2008 and 2013) have produced compromised PMs who look outwards to the West for support rather than looking inwards to the suffering masses. Benazir Bhutto was elected PM in 1988 after over 11 years of relentless political struggle and sacrifices. Yet she was reduced to a puppet PM, she could not even choose her own cabinet and then the hanging sword of 58(2B) finally got her. The wounded and bruised comrades of change who had to face the brutalities of the Zia era were neither helped nor acknowledged by her regime for their sacrifices in the restoration of democracy.
IJI (Islami Jamhoori Ittehad) was a master stroke at manipulating the democratic process to produce puppet /plastic PMs who were required to take dictation, or 58(2B) would get them. The judiciary looked the other way while media was strangulated. When the deposed chief justice decided to fight back, the lawyers and the civil society came out on the streets to support him and the change he offered.
Despite the struggle both the elections (2008, 2013) produced dummy PMs and now the talk has started for the 2018 ballot. A free and fair vote in 2013 could have resulted in a real PM but it was not to be. The already selected puppet PM and his party were given a freehand to rig the elections. After two puppet PMs (Yousaf Raza Gilani, Parvez Ashraf) the third was given his chance and work started on the fourth by an onslaught of lotas.
Imran Khan faces a historical test: either to struggle to become a real PM or to be cornered into becoming a puppet PM. ‘Kaptan’ is his own man and has led from the front. As long as he is leading, he is comfortable with his team. History may be in the making. No leader till date has been able to bring change with a tainted and tried team. ZAB had people who were unknown in the political arena in the 1970 elections. Interestingly he too went for experience and electability in the 1977 ballot. Dr Mubashir Hasan polled the highest number of votes in 1970 but refused to contest in 1977 elections mainly because of the lotas who had taken over the party. Candidates who lost badly against novices in 1970 were awarded PPP tickets this time around.
When the crunch time came there was no one to stand behind the leader who had the title of Fakhar-e-Asia. The electables and lotas were the first to leave. Yasin Wattoo who was a cabinet member of Ayub Khan managed to be a part of last ZAB cabinet. He was then ZAB’s lawyer but eventually found his way to the Zia team, so much for lotaracy.
Instead of leading protests against badly rigged elections in 2013, some PTI electables are talking about the 2018 vote. ‘Kaptan’ has been made to believe that he can bring real change in the country even with a team of status quo stalwarts as long as they are electable. In 67 years of Pakistan, only once the comrades of change succeeded against the forces of status quo when the team was fresh, untainted, uncompromised and unelectable. Imran Khan hopes to pull a miracle and get elected as a real PM even when surrounded by ministers of dummy cabinets led by puppet PMs as long as they are electable. Elections 2018 are four years away; much can happen till then. History may be in the making or repeating, only time will tell.
