Friday, May 9, 2008, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429    

A dangerous political gamble

M Ashraf Mirza

In a volte-face, the Election Commission has reversed its decision to postpone the the bye elections to the 38 national and provincial assembly seats while the special committee constituted by PPPP co chairperson Asif Zardari and PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif to draft the resolution for submission to the National Assembly for the restoration of the deposed judges has completed the task assigned to it though with dissensions on the modalities between two constitutional experts on the committee viz Aitzaz Ahsen and Abdul Hafeez Pirzada. Confusion, however, still persists in the country as to why the bye elections were deferred without the knowledge of any of the ‘stakeholders’. As if the issue of judges’ restoration was not enough to keep the nation on tenterhooks that the Election Commission had chosen to cause surprise to the ruling coalition partners and opposition alike by postponing the bye elections in a clandestine manner. The Election Commission attributed the postponement to a proposal made by the NWFP government on the basis of ‘poor’ law and order situation as well as the forthcoming budget sessions of the national and provincial assemblies. The Frontier government has, in turn, put the onus on Prime Minister’s Advisor for National Security, Mr Rehman Malik saying that it had acted on his persuasion. He, in turn, has asserted that he has ‘done nothing wrong’.
The postponement had, however, evoked widespread criticism and condemnation across the nation’s political divide. President Musharraf’s spokesman Rashed Qureshi was quick to repudiate the allegations made by some political elements that the postponement was a conspiracy hatched by the presidency against the democratic dispensation. According to him, President Musharraf was not involved in the matter at all. PPPP co-chairman Asif Zardari and PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif also expressed their ignorance about the decision and condemned it. Federal Ministers Sherry Rehman and Farooq Naek were also critical of the postponement. In a related development, however, Justice Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim has opted out of the special committee constituted to dilate on the modalities for the restoration of judges and to draft the resolution to be moved in the national assembly to this effect. He has withdrawn from the committee on account of the committee’s assignment to also discuss the retention of the judges inducted after November 3, 2007. PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif had fixed May 12 as the date for reinstatement of the judges on his return to Lahore after intensive consultations with PPPP co-chairman Asif Zardari in Dubai last week. The committee has, however, done its job. The draft will now be discussed by the PPPP and PML(N) leadership. Asif Zardari is reportedly flying to London to meet Nawaz Sharif for the purpose.
Though the draft of the resolution for restoration of the judges has been finalised with dissensions on the modalities of its implementation, yet the coalition is still not out of woods as the core issue remains unresolved throwing the ball again in the leadership’s court to take the final decision. Developments like the postponement of bye elections and the inordinate delay in the restoration of the Supreme Court judges are certainly fraught with leading the country towards a grave crisis. The PML(Q) leadership’s growing interaction with President Musharraf amidst reports of change in the party’s command is certainly not devoid of political intricacies. Hamid Nasir Chatha’s assertion that it will be a news if PML(Q) leaders will not meet the President any day amply speaks of the situation. It’s reported that Ch Shujaat Hussain may accept the responsibility for the party’s defeat in the February 18 elections and quit the party leadership to create room for Pir Sahib Pagaro or Hamid Nasir Chattha. There is a theory that attempts are being made to create wedge between PPPP and PML(N) in order to make their coalition fall apart. And it’s allegedly being don to make PPPP enter into coalition with the PML(Q) at the center and in the provinces. It’s being asserted that the PPPP and PML(Q) can also form government in Punjab with the help of some independents, where PML(N) has emerged as the single largest parliamentary party.
The postponement of the bye-election has exposed the clandestine activity and undercurrent moves to influence the political scenario in the country. It represents contrived attempts to manipulate the political scene that has apparently been created by the PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif’s hardline posture towards President Musharraf.
The two are, in fact, in an open war of survival. Nawaz Sharif’s unrelenting attacks on the President and threatening posture to throw him out have seemingly evoked retaliation from the presidential camp. PPPP’s dilly dallying tactic on the issue of judges’ restoration is quite meaningful despite Asif Zardari’s public stance in its favour. Apparently in deference to President Musharraf’s position on the judges’ issue, Zardari is seeking to reduce the Chief Justice’s tenure. A commitment on the CJ’s part is also being sought that he will not to sit on the benches that may take up case of Gen Musharraf’s eligibility to contest the election and the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance under which BB and Zardari have been unhooked of their multifarious corruption charges involving billions of rupees. The future of the PPPP-PML(N) coalition is also drifting into the doldrums due to the practical deadlock on the issue of the modalities for judges’ restoration. There is a remote possibility of judges’ restoration on May 12 in view of the Farkhruddin G. Ibrahim’s withdrawal from the committee. The lawyers are also preparing to re-launch their movement in case the judges are not reinstated on May 12 next.
The Presidency, however, owes a special responsibility to ensure that the political stakeholders are facilitated to function in keeping with the democratic principles. It’s encouraging that President Musharraf had pledged to support the democratic government to make democracy function smoothly in the country. He owes it to the nation in view of his contribution towards bringing the nation on the path of full democracy. Pakistan has, however, had a very bitter experience of the lust for power on the part of Gen Yahya Khan. The country cannot afford to drift into another abyss. All stakeholders owe responsibility to posterity on this count. It’s, therefore, hoped that the political parties and the presidency will be responsive to the national imperative of the country’s smooth transformation towards undiluted democracy. It will also not be inappropriate to probe as to what led Mr Rehman Malik to ask the NWFP government to approach the Election Commission for postponement of the bye elections. (Interestingly, however, Mr Zardari has said that Rehman Malik is not involved in the postponement of the bye elections). It’s also pertinent to look into the justification for their postponement for a prolonged period of two months.
It’s important as well to investigate as to why the bye elections have been postponed throughout the country at the instance of the NWFP government alone. This could have been done in NWFP alone. It’s not clear whether or not Prime Minister Yusuf Reza Gilani was in the picture on the question of postponement of the bye polls. Whatever the situation, it’s incumbent upon the government to take the nation into confidence in order to avoid misunderstanding and tension in the country.