Letting each other off the hook
Arguably, the politics of ‘muk muka’ among the civilian leadership has harmed the state building process in Pakistan to a great extent. While one can easily point fingers at the military in this regard, opportunist civilian alliances with the former just made it worse. In fact, almost all of the political parties in Pakistan have risen to the national level with the help of non-civilian institutions. Major political parties in Pakistan, from PPP, PML(N), MQM, and to some extent PTI have all taken this ride.
Our dilemma is that we never had a political party with a national vision. Colourful manifestos presenting national visions and promises of transforming Pakistan into the Silicon Valley have always remained marred in bad governance and gross corruption. There is so much political corruption in high places: there were and are numerous cases against political leadership of various ruling parties in the courts.
Furthermore, our national leadership has always presented itself regionally: PML(N) has all the time focused on Punjab while the PPP has remained focused on Sindh; the remaining smaller parties have either courted some ethnic, cultural or religious constituency or have just campaigned to reach the capital shores – Islamabad.
The years after the last general elections offer a good case study on how civilian leadership has either come together or have dithered away to save each other. Controversy over the fairness of the last general elections and the PTI’s politics over this issue is one example. While the PTI openly called the national assembly illegitimate, it claimed that its lawmakers were legitimate members of the same assembly. Moreover, while it is constitutionally false, the PTI took part in Senate elections having remained outside the assembly for almost four months.
In fact, constitutionally, the PTI lawmakers are no longer members of the parliament. PTI lawmakers resignations remained with national assembly speaker for weeks but were never accepted for some unknown reasons. According to rules, the lawmakers’ assembly membership ceases the moment they submit their resignations. According to the constitution’s article 64 (1) “A member of the parliament may by writing under his hand addressed to the speaker resign his seat, and thereupon his seat shall become vacant.” According to the Article 64 (2), “A house may declare the seat of a member vacant if, without leave of the house, he remains absent for forty consecutive days of its sittings.”
Many have argued that the PPP’s support to PML(N) during these crises – PTI’s sit in and associated campaign for dissolution of the National Assembly – only had two objectives: first, to secure their own government in Sindh; and second, to negotiate Senate’s chairmanship eventually.
The Peshawar massacre, while brining all parties together, apparently became reason for the termination of the PTI’s months long sit in. However, the unity didn’t last long: the military’s counter terrorism operation in Karachi, against the political parties involved in corruption, has brought the PPP and MQM face to face with the PML(N).
The Rangers military operation in Karachi has caused a rift between the provincial and federal government: while the PPP has accused the PML(N) of victimising their party on political grounds, former’s top stalwarts, including the two former prime ministers – Yousaf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf – were booked for their alleged involvement different mega scale corruption scandals; the case of Dr Asim Hussain is another example to quote. In retaliation, the PPP government has accused the federal government of large scale corruption in mega projects such as Nandipur Power Project, Metro Bus Project and solar energy power project.
Both parties have even fought on whether the Rangers deployment in Karachi is constitutional or not. PPP on many occasions has called the Rangers actions illegitimate and unconstitutional while also demanding similar kind of operation in the Punjab. While demanding a similar operation is every party’s right but one should ask this question: why PPP’s government didn’t make such demands when similar action was being taken against MQM in Karachi?
When civilians, who vow to uphold the constitution, become stakeholders in large scale corruption scandals, linking any debate with constitution is a mockery itself: whether the Rangers investigation into the financial links of political parties with terror funding comes under their jurisdiction or not is totally irrelevant at this point. The tragedy is, beyond rhetoric, neither the PPP nor MQM has denied that elements in their parties were involved in corruption. Questions have only been raised about why this is not happening against other political parties.
The National Action Plan, with all its shortcomings, has been successful in achieving some of its objectives. Everyone knows that the Rangers operation in Karachi is not being controlled from the prime minister’s house. Still PPP has triggered debates which have caused serious national disunity in the past. Raising slogans of victimisation against smaller provinces is not in Pakistan’s national interest in any way.
All long as political parties in Pakistan – as they have done throughout the history – let each other off the hook and turn a blind eye to each other’s sins, everything is by the book. Everyone has witnessed the PTI’s political opportunism. PPP’s inapt and corrupt leadership is before everyone. PML(N)’s kitchen cabinet of family ministers and lack of vision is an open secret. And last but not the least, the MQM mafia which has robbed Karachi from its peace is still there.
Apparently we have not learnt our lessons: all of this gives space to the military role as the key base and arbitrator of political power. As long as the civilians do not put their house in order, with a vision of serving the people, nothing will change and masses will continue to suffer.