Anum Aftab

Terror isn’t fading away

The expressions that the word ‘Pakistan’ solely generates on the faces of outsiders are a proof enough to get the idea of what they think about it.

Pakistan, the land of pure which was conceived as a pure thought by Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal is now enveloped in the vicious cycle of terrorism.

Pakistan is a developing country and it is politically unstable. We live in the world where everything is possible. Democratic governments have always failed to complete their tenure which eventually results in a long lasting dictatorship reign. The political system has been stagnant since 70′s and no dire change has taken place. In Pakistani politics, there is a clear domination by few families only and these families have failed to produce long lasting productive results. The chair of head of state has been a war between the head of the army staff and a few noticeable political leaders. Who has suffered? Well, you guessed it right, the nation! If we observe the political situation of Pakistan, much of the politics is based on different racial groups. It’s fair to say that the contemporary political situation of Pakistan is in dire need of significant changes if we it weigh against it to the political systems of leading nations in the world.

Pakistani politics has started to take an unpleasant route as the layman pursues to struggle in the furrow. The existing situation in Karachi and Baluchistan is worse than ever. The blame of these riots clearly is on politicians who are just manipulating different groups to reap benefits for themselves. If the current political situation in Pakistan does not change, the country would keep on suffering at the hands of monarchs and waderas! The role of youth in politics seems to be missing in this scenario and needs to be looked upon if the country is to strive for betterment. One possible solution for the fundamental problem is to improve the problems of education system that erodes as every day falls behind.

Almost every political party represents a particular ethnic group; therefore no party has got the support in every region because the role of political parties in Pakistan is very much based upon different cultural groups they represent. This is one of the major reasons of slow development in some specific areas as compared to others. There are a number key problems in political system of Pakistan, & the list grows on and on with every passing minute.

Ever in the record of Pakistan has a democratically elected civilian government served out its full term and then been replaced by another one, also through democratic elections. It is that context that makes the latest political crisis in Pakistan so important. If the government falls and elections are held ahead of schedule in 2013, the opportunity for Pakistan to have a government which serves its full term will be lost.

Given the peculiar nature of Pakistani politics, where the military exerts a powerful role behind the scenes, no one is predicting anything with any certainty. In recent times the main opposition leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has shown little enthusiasm for forcing an early election which could boost his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) into power at a time when the country is facing huge economic and security problems. Having been ousted in a coup in 1999, Sharif remained deeply suspicious of the army, and he has ruled out supporting any moves against the government that might be orchestrated by the military. Giving democracy time to bed down, by allowing the government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to serve its full term, could set a useful precedent for a future PML-N administration.

The army itself has shown no inclination to run the country directly, and it already controls the issues that matter most to it – foreign and security policy.  It has barely disguised its frustration with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari — who also leads the PPP — particularly after he travelled to France and Britain last summer while the country suffered from devastating floods.  But that does not translate into wanting to see Sharif back in power.

We don’t actually know for sure whether there is a groundswell of popular support in favor of ditching the current government, though there is, as Nadeem Paracha argued in Dawn,  a great deal of populist sloganeering on television channels about the state of the country.

 “Akin to a black comedy is the fact that most TV anchors and hosts that go on spouting all these concerns – unemployment, inflation, drone attacks, ‘good governance’, Aafia ki wapsi (jailed Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui)  – are sitting pretty with hefty salaries and perks, and, what some would suggest, an agenda to safeguard the interests of some of the most anti-democracy classes in this country i.e., the military, the mullah and large sections of the upper and middle-classes.”

We also don’t know for sure whether having a resident government complete its term would necessarily be good for democracy. And to be fair there are many in Pakistan who question whether democracy is even the right system for the country; others who complain that the PPP is not particularly democratic given its dominance by the Bhutto family dynasty and the feudal elite. 

But we can say for sure that there is rather more at stake in this political crisis than merely the survival of a government or even the implementation of policies.   It could have implications for how the country is run which will endure for many years.

“Words, without power, is mere philosophy”

Let’s join hands, let’s walk together, and let’s make Pakistan a better nation!

By: Anum Aftab