From the periscope of WikiLeaks revelations we come across a new Nawaz Sharif who is more defiant to the non-democratic forces and more faithful to a democratic Pakistan. According to an English daily, about a year ago a smiling Nawaz Sharif cautioned the over-confident Prime Minister Mr Gilani, who believed that the military was on board, to never trust on the military commanders.
He shared his own experience of trusting a corps commander whom the then PM allotted prime agricultural land in Faisalabad. This was the time when the military-Nawaz stand-off on Kargil was at its pinnacle. A top official of Nawazs government advocated the allotment by arguing that in bad times, if military tried to carry out a coup, this privileged corps commander would have a soft corner for our government and would resist any coup. But to the then PMs surprise, the very commander not only led the soldiers who came to arrest him, but also abducted him to a military mess and detained there till he was shifted to the next detention cell.
Nawaz Sharif concluded this contemptuous experience at a universal truth that the military men are always loyal to their serving commanders and not to the civilian leaders.
We shall not be wrong if we say that during the bad days of the sitting government, it is only Nawaz Sharifs unconditional support to the democratic system that has kept the system from being derailed, and let the government enjoy a smooth journey towards the completion of a mandated tenure. This gesture of unconditional support was not possible without his vision that made him play on the front foot after his return to Pakistan in 2008. The coup and asylum have given rise to a new Nawaz Sharif who is more democratic, more visionary and more alert.
Nawaz Sharifs caution saga reveals a manifold conclusion.
1- To gain power, the politicians should never trust or depend upon force but the people of Pakistan. For only the people are their power base, and not the gunmen.
2- The military men, under any circumstances, should abide by the constitution of the state, and not the serving commander only.
3- If a commander makes his subordinates obey his un-constitutional orders, either he should be put to a court-martial, or tried in some civil court. Any order that overrides the constitution is a matter of high treason.
4- If the politicians are punished for their misdeeds, either by votes or by coups, the military rulers should also be punished for their offences against the constitution.
5- In order to turn the failing state of Pakistan into a real Islamic Republic where no human sleeps on an empty stomach and fear, we will have to confess of the blunders we have made so far, and should try to redress them anew.
For this purpose, the sitting government, the army chief and the opposition leaders must develop a consensus upon the Charter of Pakistan that has been proposed by a new Nawaz Sharif. All the stakeholders should be brought on board. Lest Balochistan should become another Bangladesh, do the first things first. Accept the demands of the leaders of the deprived province and try the culprit of Bugtis assassination. Only then can we move forward to a stronger, scintillating and a purely democratic Pakistan.
AHMAD HAMMAD
Lahore
