Of Nawaz Sharif’s Surgery and Political Ailments

Sympathy and illness won’t help him forever

Now that the PM’s open-heart surgery is successfully over, three things have become very obvious. One is that we as a people have become so callous to make a joke of someone’s serious illness. Two is that our constitution is silent about how and who will carry out the business of running a government if the PM gets temporarily incapacitated. And three, despite the lacuna in the constitution, we need an ailing PM if we want the government to run efficiently – for a change.

Talking of our cruelty, it felt so bad to see that while the PM was going through a life and death sort of situation, we were busy here dissecting whether if he was really going through a surgery or if it was all a drama to divert the attention of the people and create a sympathy wave in his favour. It was even worse to see on social networks photoshopped pictures of Nawaz Sharif showing him dead.

But, on the other hand, looking at the activities that the PM got involved in from abroad during these past days, one got the impression that in order to take the governance issue seriously one needs to be seriously ill. But critics don’t agree with this. And, mind you, these are not those callous critics we talked about above. They say that it was not a demonstration of ‘efficient governance’. It was more a PR exercise. It was also a manifestation of Nawaz Sharif’s inner thought process not to let anyone else take his seat – even if for a little while.

This brings us to the issue of politicians’ own weaknesses that are contributing to the weakness of the system. Their conduct leaves much to be desired. They, more often than not, show glimpses of their dictatorial mindset which they possess inside; despite their continuous wailing over the lack of democratic values and their complaints about the ‘conspiracies’ of the non-democratic forces to undermine democracy.

During all this time when it became known that a serious constitutional lacuna existed, no one from the government came on record to accept this reality and to promise that the issue will be addressed in due course of time. Rather, they seemed happy to see no constitutional bar in running the government the old personal and family way.

These ‘person’ and ‘family’ things at the moment are contributing their bit to the vulnerability of the system that is currently under dark clouds. The ToR Committee that was supposed to decide something about the Panama Papers issue has apparently deadlocked. Aitzaz Ehsan says the government side is showing no flexibility and that there were little chances of things moving forward if it stuck to its stubbornness.

And all this ‘stubbornness’ is only about saving the person of the prime minister from the proposed judicial commission that will probe into the alleged corruption and malpractices of those named in the Panama Papers. One wonders, what this whole exercise will mean if the name of prime minister is struck off the list. Truly speaking, these are not just the person and family of Nawaz Sharif that efforts are being made to be saved from potential embarrassment and punishment. There are many more people sitting in other political parties who don’t want the matter to proceed in some effective manner.

Reports of contacts (direct or indirect) between Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif prior to PM’s surgery are also seen and received in the same context. Such contacts are interpreted as ‘scheming of the scheming politicians’ to dodge accountability and continue with their loot and plunder through perpetuation of the current unjust and non-delivering system. And, why not? When these politicians are not ready even to move an inch towards their personal accountability, why the argument of ‘continuity of the system’ would be bought by the people? If a system is perceived to be based on the exploitation by the few who can’t be made accountable, why would people like it to be saved – even if the threats to it were real?

Meeting and cooperating for the greater good of the people can only be believed if some tangible results of it are seen on ground. If not, then the outcome is obvious; it won’t help them and the system.

But it seems neither the sympathy factor nor dragging of the issue indefinitely can help either the PM or the democratic system. If the deadlock continued to persist, it will go against both. On the one hand, the ‘system’ will become more delegitimized in the eyes of the people; while on the other, it will increase the chances of derailment of the current order. And all this is in on one’s interest as there are many more things running simultaneously.

The talk of civil-military divide is not new. There is this narrative of ‘national interest, being undermined’ by politicians through their corrupt practices. There is talk of the ineffectiveness of the parliamentary system. There are institutional interests and inertias. And there are personal wishes, opinions and ambitions. Put together, they all pose a great threat to the continuation of the system.

No wonder you hear the news of unexpected and unexplainable meeting between the army chief, Chaudhry Nisar and Shahbaz Sharif. Word has it that they were there to request Gen Raheel Sharif to accept a one-year extension in the shape of increasing the term of office of Chief of Army Staff from three to four years. Reportedly, he once again declined the ‘offer’ with thanks. But that is beside the point. Fact is that there are some real and perceived issues and threats which the government apparently wants to neutralise. Even if one goes with the argument that there is nothing serious at the moment as long as dislodging of the government is concerned, the offer again indicates that relations are not as smooth as we are told and that the government is trying to reduce those differences and tensions, if any.

At the moment, it is good a news that Nawaz Sharif will back in business soon. Despite political differences, it will be in the fitness of things to wish him a faster recovery. But let’s hope that once he is back, he will try to correct at least some of the things that can benefit not only him but the people at large. He must positively contribute his share in lending legitimacy to the system and saving it from complete ruin.