Brig Naseem Akhtar Khan (R)
THE rigmaroles in Pakistani politics and the standard of governance that it has provided to the country since partition, is a sad story to talk about. While the politicians and their beneficiaries keep blaming military rulers for the worsening governance, military on the other hand, has very few to publicly defend them. Abird’s eye view of the history indicates that, barring a few short spells of good and productive governance, the rest has all been an ordeal of monopolization of wealth and authority, under the cover of so-called democracy. While the politicians continued their game of loot and plunder, the army rulers were equally blamed for their misrule. The ultimate loser in this whole game has been the state and its institutions. Unfortunately, the founder of the nation left us too early to allow us sufficient time to get matured as an independent democratic country, as per his vision. Infighting within the system started immediately after his death which unfortunately, still continues.
The political system in Pakistan which produces the people with power to put plans and actions into effect, has been the root cause of the consequences that we face today. Political parties lack internal democracy, rely on patron-client networks and their politics revolves around individuals rather than their party manifesto. Political leadership mostly based on inheritance/family patterns and structured from ‘top to bottom’ rather than ‘bottom to top’, has always been our weak link. Number of splitter groups created by the vested interests, to be used as pressure groups in main political stream, had adverse repercussions. Most of the representatives chosen in Parliament, are feudalist and industrialist, enjoying complete monopoly over their constituents. In short, our political geneses are absolutely at disharmony with the form of democracy that we follow. Resultantly, our Parliament has become a farce with parliamentarians acting as power brokers, making it a stumbling block in implementation of the rule of law and smooth/transparent functioning of the state machinery.
Besides, being politicised, most of the governmental institutions have lost their merit and authenticity. Religious radicalisation and its exploitation for the political gains has become a norm. In a nutshell, we are stuck in a status quo and getting deeper into the crisis. Exploiting loopholes in our internal realm, our foreign adversaries have penetrated amongst the political parties, pressure groups, governmental institutions, and media, to expand their agenda. Injecting anti-army feelings, remains a major part of their strategic offensive against Pakistan. Continued deterioration in our governance over the decades and half-hearted attempts to make the mends, have now virtually brought our political system at its crossroads.
From here on, we have no other option but to choose a path, either to take the country in the desired direction or get lost in wilderness. Confronting a more serious approach to put things in their correct perspective, the frustrated corrupt mafia has gathered to fight a last-ditch battle against the government and its institutions to safeguard their vested interests. Assured of support from their foreign manipulators, they have chosen to challenge the defence forces, ridiculing them to an unacceptable limit. By making mockery of the politics, parliament, the judiciary, and the armed forces, all these actors have exposed themselves in totality. While the situation may appear gloomy for many, by doing so, they have also presented a golden opportunity for the state institutions to act and react in the interest of the country. The judiciary needs to think where their system stands now.
The convicted people are free to take law in their hands and lead political movements. What is the status of their convictions? People openly talk of hiring judges in their cases rather than hiring lawyers. Government must think why they do not follow-up the cases logically rather than presenting jerky reactive statements. What are we doing to expose their foreign linkages with facts and figures and what is being done to legally pursue their cases promptly? Why the foreign funding to religious Madaris being ignored? Why millions of dollars grabbed by some so-called top clerics/ politicians from abroad, is being ignored? I am sure our Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be having records all such cash in-flows. Why are the students from Madaris allowed to be used in politics, as private army? Why some of the Islamic countries being allowed to preach their own brand of Islam in our country? Although, army by itself generally, does not respond to politicians but everyone needs to be made answerable for their baseless propaganda against our state institutions. I am sure all the relevant authorities must be having answers to all these questions but the public in general, remain unaware and feel apprehensive about the situation.
It is high time that we review/revise our political system that can adequately absorb the existing jerks and cracks in our prevailing political structure and puts an end to the religious exploitation. Although, most of our politicians get very reactionary to the idea of presidential form of governance, but we all need to understand that it is also a form of democratic governance and may be a more suitable option in consonance with our existing political culture. A strong and well-organised local bodies system is equally essential to work side by side, that empowers the lower tiers of the society and gives a voice to smaller segments of the political/ethnic/sectarian groups who may feel handicap when confronted with bigger political parties coming in power.
Security implications emanating out of the geo-strategic environment in the region and emerging importance of military diplomacy at international level, suggest that defence forces should be associated with the governance as part of a potent National Security Council. Institutional reforms and a fair/transparent accountability system will be essential to support the revitalization process. Our educational system needs re-streaming with religious education as an integral part of our curriculum. Madaris running with foreign funding need to cease and use of madrassa students for political activities must be stopped with an iron hand. Formal selection and appointment of religious scholars to administer the mosques in the country, will be a great step forward for authentic interpretation of Islam and religious harmony. How can all this be done while remaining within the purview of our constitution, will be a question that I may not be able to answer. What all I know and believe is that no sacrifice is greater than the destiny of the nation. If we still decide to continue living under an adhocracy culture, history may not forgive us for the negligence in fulfilling our obligations to the motherland.
— The writer is Security Management Professional, based in the UAE.
