The dream of a peaceful and successful Pakistan can come true
Mushahid Hussain has the gift of the gab. He proved that as Nawaz Sharif’s information minister, especially in the days of going nuclear, etc, and he impressed Gen Musharraf enough to accompany Ch Shujaat on the most important negotiations, like Bugti. And he’s remained an expert on international relations since his Political Science days at Georgetown University. His resume stands out among our crop of top politicians; from the political journalism at The Muslim to being one of Pakistan’s leading syndicated columnists. Strangely, though, he has gone quite of late, just when Pakistan’s politics came alive in a manner not seen since ZAB’s time. That is why his exclusive talk with DNA is all the more enlightening.
Question: What do you expect to dominate the government’s thinking going into the new year?
Mushahid Hussain Syed: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faces some major challenges in next few weeks which would determine not only the fate of his government but also his party’s political future.
Firstly, there can be no possibility of a failure in war against terrorism. Leading this war is the most important and critical decision taken by the prime minister in his 31-year political career. Failure is not an option for him. Not only will it hurt the country, it will also seal his fate in political terms. The positive thing to note is that Mr Sharif looks to achieve this milestone. He responded a bit late though, but since the APC he is acting and acting fast. He needs to carry on this momentum.
For the record, we know that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government has failed to implement the decisions of the last APC, formation of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and also setting up of the National Security Council (NSC)
The prime minister would have to get legislation passed from both houses of parliament for installing military courts. Also, the implementation mechanism would have to be carved out for decisions taken during the All Parties Conference (APC) and finalisation of an agreement with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for formation of judicial commission to get the vote audit done once and for all.
The prime minister would also have to meet the executive heads of the four provincial governments, Azad Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Gilgit-Baltistan to win support for the implementation of the counter terrorism plan.
For the record, we know that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government has failed to implement the decisions of the last APC, formation of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and also setting up of the National Security Council (NSC).
The premier would have to keep close contact with the leadership of all the political parties to complete these tasks and failure would be no option for him and his government.
Q: Since you have worked closely with the prime minister in the past, how do you expect him to handle this situation?
MHS: I know that this is another defining moment in the political life of Nawaz Sharif. Other than launching a final war against the terrorists, Nawaz Sharif has two other major decisions to his credit in the past; decisions that defied odds. First, he decided not to take dictation from the establishment in 1993, when he defied the strongman, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Then, again, when in 1998 international powers warned against nuclear tests, Nawaz Sharif again defied all foreign pressures and fulfilled the demands and aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Now, in 2014, if he wins the war against terrorism, it would be another milestone achieved by his party’s government.
Another noteworthy factor is that for the first time in history, the governments and military establishments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the same page to deal with the menace of terrorism. When Afghan President Dr Ghani visited Islamabad, he agreed with Nawaz Sharif that both countries should solve their problems mutually rather than getting involved in blame games through the media. Moreover, both of them agreed that neither Pakistan nor Afghanistan would allow any non-state actor to use its territory.
Q: What must be done to build on this momentum? What would you suggest the prime minister?
MHS: Actually, I have proposed to him that after the visit of Dr Ghani, Pakistan should also invite Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, as this would further help cement confidence between both states. The PM very graciously agreed to my advice and directed his staff to send the invitation at the earliest.
For the first time in history, the governments and military establishments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the same page to deal with the menace of terrorism
Let me also tell you that this time around, all major forces are backing him – the armed forces, the regional and international powers and all political parties, the people of Pakistan and even the media is behind him. So there is no chance of a failure this time around. We can say that his political future is based on this war against terrorism which he himself has announced to lead. He must keep this in mind as he plans internal and foreign policy.
Q: How would you rate the interior minister’s performance, especially after the Peshawar tragedy? And what are your comments about the marathon APC?
MHS: Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan impressed me during the daylong APC held at the PM’s House. I never saw him so active, willing to work and contribute. Normally, he is not in the habit of attending long meetings due to his health problems. But he was very active throughout the 11-hour-long APC. It was impressive for a person like me with whom Chaudhry Nisar has a decades-old friendship and working relationship.
The APC also agreed to a proposal floated by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif that such long, detailed and brainstorming sessions and briefings with the top leadership of all the political parties should also be held in Karachi and Quetta. All the political bigwigs said they were ready and would attend such meetings.
Now this is a very good proposal and this might help the political and military leadership to improve their understanding of the on-ground situation, know each-other’s viewpoints better and, hopefully, make Sindh and Balochistan free of violence.
The army has done its part and now the political leadership must come forward and play its role in identifying the flaws and carving out a joint strategy to deal with the problems. If we are able to solve these problems, Pakistan will become peaceful and the dream of development and welfare of the people can be achieved. That would be something I tell you.