Pakistan ruled by minions

• How should things be?

At the start of the New Year, the most important thing to do is to review how our country is being managed. The real issue of Pakistan is that its ruling elite comprises minions that can only see as far as the tip of their noses and have egos that are inflated by hot air considering themselves indispensable for the nation.

Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif were on a secret trip to Saudi Arabia. PML-N loyalists of Sharif family have adopted a narrative that they were there to discuss the regional situation and it is all part of necessary statecraft. In what capacity? Nawaz Sharif has no role in the government and Shahbaz Sharif can’t represent the nation as chief minister of a province. While Sharif brothers indulge with foreign rulers the puppet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqqan Abbasi and Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif are just happy they have titles and are not bothered that state interests are undermined by such improper acts. Instead of being opposed to it they are appeasing Sharif family for their own personal political future. These meetings were happening in the absence of a note taker from the foreign office which makes them inappropriate and illegitimate. Such meetings also create a public outcry against Saudi meddling in internal affairs of Pakistan and using its proxies to further their regional agenda at the cost of the nation. Such practices undermine rather than help bilateral relations.

Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif were on a secret trip to Saudi Arabia. PML-N loyalists of Sharif family have adopted a narrative that they were there to discuss the regional situation and it is all part of necessary statecraft. In what capacity?

But Sharif brothers are not alone. Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari signed an NRO with Gen Musharraf brokered by UK and USA. Charter of Democracy was also signed in London brokered by many foreign players. Last PPP government also hired a lobbyist in the USA who had worked as a personal lobbyist for Benazir Bhutto and was appointed as an agent for her last book deal. These minion civilian dictators believe their family interests are more important than the national interest.

But the main reason for our continued weakness in foreign policy is instability and chaos in domestic politics. Political opponents in Pakistan engage in a no holds barred contest for power. Last weekend, Dr Tahir ul Qadri of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), who has always been a minion in politics, gathered all other minions of PTI-L (lotas), PPP, APML, PSP, MQM, and PML-Q. Most of them claim to be driven by seeking justice for Model Town police brutality. But almost all of them have similar kind of blood on their hands either by engaging in dharnas or during the lawyers’ movement agitation to topple Musharraf. All these parties have gathered to de-seat one party – PML-N in Punjab in next general elections. But after reading the resolution adopted by this patchwork of political minions to me it looks like a coalition to initiate a PNA style agitation movement if PML-N still emerges victories after all their efforts. None of these are interested in the wellbeing of Pakistani nation or further democracy as most of them as party heads nominate their sons or daughters as heirs. They don’t care what happens to the future of the sons or daughters of the nation. They don’t care if political chaos in Pakistan results in the transfer of $8 billion investment to Dubai or other countries. That money could have helped Pakistan’s economy.

There were some people in PAT APC that claim to represent PTI. It is not true as none of them have the right to represent PTI as they do not hold any legitimate and constitutional party title. Their decisions are not binding on PTI members. Most of them are pursuing their own political ambitions by hook or crook rather than driven by an ideology or principles.

Many people reading my public statements blame me for holding our politicians, judges, and generals in contempt. Is it surprising looking at their hypocrisy? Politicians are busy keeping the nation enslaved to their personal interests and foreign masters. Judges are busy fixing hospitals while millions of cases of poor people are pending in their courts seeking justice. And generals are busy playing politics and running the foreign ministry when our borders are insecure and our enemies are threatening to dismember us. None of them seem qualified to do the jobs assigned to them and that scares and worries all concerned citizens. Just playing a game of musical chairs to circulate power among these ruling elites will keep the nation weak and subjugated to foreign influence. It is important that a new leadership develops from the womb of existing political parties through a grassroots struggle. This organic democratic evolution is the only way forward for the nation to progress and prosper. Artificial and engineered political parties or alliances are not the solutions as has been the norm in the past. All segments of the society have to come forward to help democratisation of political parties and convert them into platforms that offer level playing field to all sons and daughters of the nation to participate in politics.