Christophe Jaffrelot, a professor of Indian politics and the society at the King's India Institute, London, in an article in the Indian Express:"The missing democrats"(March 21), has done a great job in encapsulating the complex Pakistani scene with all its minuses and pluses. He has pertinently noted that the fact Pakistan completed its five years of uninterrupted democracy in its sixty-six years of existence, was a remarkable achievement. It was also unprecedented that politicians from all sides acted with restraint, and did not align with the army to dislodge an elected government of their rivals, as was the case in the past. They ensured that the army did not engineer a coup in cooperation with a section of self-serving politicians, and stayed in the barracks.
However, Prof. Jaffrelot, in his assessment of different sets of players-the army top brass and top politicians, has pointed out that this achievement is not unqualified. Compromises, give-and-take have taken place. For example, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani "vetoed" all attempts by Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari, to bring the ISI under their control. Also, the civilian government accepted the supremacy of the army over a "huge" percentage of the nation's budget, as also Afghanistan and nuclear policies. They also shut their eyes to the money-making ventures of army bosses in real estate, etc. This apporoach to "rule and loot"without the risk of accountability and resultant "unpopularity", eminently suited the army. Hence, while politically, democracy was sustained, the economy was gasping, corruption remained rampant and the law and order situation was highly worrisome. Sectarianism: sunni-shia bloody conflict, Baloch insurgency, Taliban threat, Mohajir-Pashtun friction in Karachi-the biggest city, the minority persecution, etc, posed serious challenges. The top judiciary represented a single beacon of hope.
The fresh elections scheduled for May 11, 2013, may throw up a democratically elected political leadership of a much-needed enlightened and liberal kind. It is a big IF. I the Pakistani civil society rises above parochial, nationally-oriented political combination or party, to tackle the country's intractable problems, we may witness a new Pakistan. One has to wait and watch, keeping one's fingers crossed .
However, Prof. Jaffrelot, in his assessment of different sets of players-the army top brass and top politicians, has pointed out that this achievement is not unqualified. Compromises, give-and-take have taken place. For example, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani "vetoed" all attempts by Prime Minister Gilani and President Zardari, to bring the ISI under their control. Also, the civilian government accepted the supremacy of the army over a "huge" percentage of the nation's budget, as also Afghanistan and nuclear policies. They also shut their eyes to the money-making ventures of army bosses in real estate, etc. This apporoach to "rule and loot"without the risk of accountability and resultant "unpopularity", eminently suited the army. Hence, while politically, democracy was sustained, the economy was gasping, corruption remained rampant and the law and order situation was highly worrisome. Sectarianism: sunni-shia bloody conflict, Baloch insurgency, Taliban threat, Mohajir-Pashtun friction in Karachi-the biggest city, the minority persecution, etc, posed serious challenges. The top judiciary represented a single beacon of hope.
The fresh elections scheduled for May 11, 2013, may throw up a democratically elected political leadership of a much-needed enlightened and liberal kind. It is a big IF. I the Pakistani civil society rises above parochial, nationally-oriented political combination or party, to tackle the country's intractable problems, we may witness a new Pakistan. One has to wait and watch, keeping one's fingers crossed .
