The onus is on the political parties
PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani are perturbed over the future of democracy in Pakistan. Ch Nisar, on the other hand, is alarmed at Imran Khan’s call to deploy Rangers in Punjab to conduct accountability.
For Zardari the foremost requirement for establishing ‘true democracy’ is that all state institutions respect the limits imposed on them by the Constitution. For the common man true democracy means a responsive government which provides security of life, a house and education and basic health care for his children. PPP government did a lot many things to accommodate its leaders and allies but did little to fulfill some of the basic aspirations of the man in the street. If Zardari wants to stop powerful institutions from overstepping their constitutional limits, he is welcome, as far as the common man is concerned, to launch the struggle with the help of his party leaders and allies who were beneficiaries of the PPP tenure.
Raza Rabbani is equally worried about what he sees happening. He is in fact expecting even worse. But he sheds no pharisaical tears. He realises that the constitutional safeguards against military takeovers have become redundant because of the politicians’ own weaknesses. As he puts it, only the people can protect democracy provided they are given ownership of the system. Did his party take measures required to create a sense of ownership of the system among the masses?
For the last many months the Rangers have been holding individuals and parties accountable in Karachi while the federal government has acted as an observer. As the PML-N government in Punjab also has skeletons in its cupboards, it is unwilling to allow the Rangers to conduct a Karachi-like operation in Punjab. Had the politicians served the masses and conducted their affairs transparently after 2008 and 2013, the public would have stood by them all along. As things stand, they will have to fight their battles on their own. As Rabbani rightly put it, the onus to save the system is on political parties.