The political leaders and parliamentarians seem to have grown warry of hearing and bearing the names of dictators. This is evident from the annoyance shown by Chairman Senate when a Minister referred to Musharraf in reply to a question in the Senate. Nevertheless, their willingness or eagerness in some cases to work with the protégés of the dictator under a superficial democratic cover is ambiguous to say the least. The late General Zia mutilated the original Constitution of 1973 by adding controversial clauses under which the present lawmakers and Senators take oath. However, in 2011, parliamentarians succeeded in getting the name of dictator out of the book, but his actions still sarcastically smile on our lawmakers’ ingenuity and smartness. It is mindboggling that while previous government that added 18th amendment in the constitution and current government with their heavy mandate along with an opposition that vows to stand with the government, it could not repeal or modify controversial clauses in the statutes. Their inability to do so amounts to allowing the legacy of a dictator to linger on and enable rulers to sit on two chairs – authoritarian and democratic – at the same time for pure self-interest.
RAJA SHAFAATULLAH
Islamabad
