BY Saeed
Qureshi
What is the political future of these four guys? Would one
of the first three reach the pinnacle of power and rule Pakistan? Would Nawaz Sharif
survive the burgeoning onslaught from Qadri and Imran Khan? Let us try to find
out the probable answers to these questions.
General Musharraf has played his innings for pretty long
time. His luck ran out in November 2007 following the declaration of state of emergency
by him, suspension of constitution and firing of the chief justice of Pakistan.
He resigned in August 2008, after initiation of impeachment both by PMLN and
PPP.
He made the unbelievable and gravest blunder of his life by returning
to Pakistan in March 2013 to take part in the general elections of 2013. He nursed
a misplaced hope that he is going to emerge on the political seen by winning elections
or as a runner-up. He could have the slimmest inkling that by returning to Pakistan
his fate would be sealed and whatever good work he had done during his nine
years tenure would be washed off. He was rather misled and deluded by his self created
Utopian fantasies augmented by a galore of Facebook comments that he was a
darling of the people of Pakistan and that the moment he would put his step on
the soil of Pakistan, people would gather around him and he would be free to stalk
the land without any let or hindrance.
As ill luck would have it, not only that he was inhibited
for his projected political maneuvering but worst of it, his nemesis Nawaz Sharif
won the elections and thus he took up the reins of the government. In due
course he was arraigned for four high profile criminal cases which opened a Pandora
box of interminable judicial floodgate against him. The cases of treason for
suspension of constitution, the murder charges of Baloch leader Akbar Khan Bugti
and Benazir Bhutto, incarceration of judges and the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque)
case are like millstones around his neck.
By sheer luck, if he is pardoned he has no option but to
live in exile. In a nutshell he has none or rather bleak future as a politician
or even to live as a common citizen in Pakistan. If he somehow stays in
Pakistan his many ubiquitous enemies would always be on the lookout to target
him. His best choice would be to leave Pakistan (if such a possibility pops up)
and spend his remaining life in foreign pastures.
Dr. Qadri does not have the making of a politician. He is
primarily a religious demagogue like others of his ilk who are trained in religious
seminaries how to deliver sermons in pompous, rhetorical and persuasive manner.
Indeed he excels in that skill after teaching and delivering religious lectures
for decades.
Dr Tahirul Qadri is the founder of two organizations. One is
Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT), a political cum religious
party that he founded on May 25, 1989. The other is “Minhajul Quran” a kind of
religious forum brought into being in October 1981.
The aim and manifesto of
both these outfits what he espouses is to bring about a green revolution in
Pakistan which is the revival of the Charter of Medina. Dr. Qadri aspires and
struggles also for a Democratic revolution through electoral reforms in order
to elect people of integrity who will be subjected to a “pre-clearance” process
to qualify for contesting elections.
What Dr. Qadri misses is
that there was a huge difference between the state of Medina and the modern
society. The socio-economic conditions are radically incompatible between those
prime times and what the modern societies offer. Moreover the Charter of Medina
was a peace document to grant rights to the minorities and Muslims alike and it
was achieved through negotiations and not agitations or sit-ins.
A cleric who opted for a foreign
citizenship aspires to unleash a revolution of his choice through a set of
rules forced and dictated by show of street force. And let us concede that his
party and politico religious appeal is limited to a fraction of the entire
population.
We are not in France of
18th century (July 1789) when the peasants and the oppressed sections stormed
the Bastille Fort and thus pioneered a revolution that spread all over Europe
and beyond to the American Continent.The world has phenomenally marched ahead
and the human rights and democratic culture, though not so profound, is
functional in most of the societies including Pakistan.
His outbursts are hollow
and he lacks the charisma and vision that is needed to run the modern societies.
He would mess and wreck the prevailing order that would refine with the passage
of time and with electoral and democratic experiments. Dr. Qadri does not have
a magic wand to make everything blot-less and transparent. Also he doesn't have
a support from other fellow religious and semi religious groups. Yet his
intentions are sincere and well-intentioned.
The social media has seen glimpses
of his meeting in London, with the Chaudhry brothers and chalking out a plan to
dislodge the incumbent government. So his purpose behind this Dharna or siege
is not for the love of the country but to outclass an enemy by their rivals
through such fiery stalwarts as Qadri is. If the remedies are sought through
the constitutional and legal framework it would be more laudable, credible and
justified. Should we believe that by replacing the government, the devils would
quit and angels would step in?
Imran Khan who initially
looked to be merely an emotional rabble-rouser has proven to be tenacious and
unyielding cavalier in his anti Nawaz Sharif campaign. His message and pledges of ushering Pakistan
into an era of good governance with honesty and accountability as the top most hallmarks
for both the system and the leaders, are now being taken seriously. His
supporters are also demonstrating an amazing endurance and unshakable resolve despite
manifold severe hardships. One has to solute their resoluteness, unshakable
bond and fidelity with their leader.
The continuous squatting
and staying in Islamabad by his followers and the latest two mammoth public meetings
in Karachi and Lahore offer evidence to the growing popularity of Imran Khan
and his political party PTI (Pakistan Tehrik Insaf). The way Imran Khan stood
to his ground seems to have made dents in the visibly impregnable power citadel
of the sitting government of PMLN. More precarious has become the position of
Nawaz Sharif who unsparingly remained under constant verbal ridicule and bitter
tongue lashing and harsh bashing by Imran Khan and his political stalwarts.
One can imagine that with
the unrelenting determination to expand Sit-ins and hold public meetings all
over Pakistan, the government may not be left with sustained and formidable
defense for it to continue with the vulnerable status-quo. As to when it
resigns or announces mid-term elections could be a matter of conjecture, yet in
the face of fierce storm perpetually gathering on the political horizon of
Pakistan, it might not be able to complete its five years terms.
One dismal drawback of the incumbent
government is that the major bunch of its ministers and top notch leaders are
mediocre and armchair lobbyists. They are adept in the drawing room political
maneuvering but are shy and introvert to come out in the public and show their
oratorical outbursts because in politics only that person carries the day that
can forcefully argue and offers persuasive defense. That is what the political
battling is all about.
Unfortunately Mr Sharif himself
is not a public speaker and drastically lacks the professional knack of
articulation, dissemination and eloquence. On the contrary Allama Dr Tahirul
Qadri is a fiery orator who can go to any length to drive his assertion in the
minds of his listeners.
Imran Khan too has learnt
this invaluable art that is indispensable for a tit for tat and robust combat
in the political arena. Good work that the PMLN government claims good work and
boosting the economy. Yet the logic of dismantling this claim is more
vociferous and stunning that the claims of the the PMLN ministers and even the
prime minister himself.
As if like last straw on
the camel’s back, the ugly and shameful episode of Gulu Butt and police firing
at the crowd outside Dr. Qadri’s residence has colossally tarnished and bruised
the image of not only Punjab government of PMLN but also the federal government
as well. It simply boggles the mind that
how could any government worth the name commit such an atrocious and silly blunder?
If the tide turns against PMLN, the perpetrators could be criminally prosecuted
including the Punjab chief minister.
No comments:
Post a Comment