Rao Dilshad Hussain: Gearing up for another electoral bout

Gearing up for another electoral bout
Monday, June 28, 2010

After the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari took over Pakistan People’s Party’s charge as Co-Chairman. Despite facing a lot of crises, he has been so far successful in leading the party. In 2008 he became president of Pakistan with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election held on September 2008. During elections there were not many objections. Today, however, according to him he is facing multiple threats from ‘non-democratic’ and hidden forces within and outside the establishment.

There is pressure on him to step down. This demand came up after the annulment of NRO by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Meanwhile MQM’s chief Altaf Hussain has also suggested that the president should be prepared for sacrifice. Many other politicians are also suggesting that he should step down as a moral obligation. Amidst this heated political debate, PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif clarified and said, “If any efforts or conspiracies will be hatched against the president, the democracy will suffer. I am a true supporter of democracy and will never abandon the elected government of Pakistan.” This has happened for the first time in the history of Pakistan that the opposition party has given support to the existing government and has played a positive role in saving the democratic system.

After facing serious threats, President Zardari has decided that he would not quit and surrender in front of the non-political forces and the so-called establishment. He has instead preferred to confront them by attending mass rallies and public functions because he believes that masses are the real power of democracy. Earlier he went to Sindh where he managed to garner a vote of confidence from the Provincial Assembly, which passed a resolution in his favour. PPP has been trying to pass such resolutions in all the remaining Provincial Assemblies.

Pakistan People Party (PPP) has also shown strong support to the President, which is visible by the number of rallies that are being organised across the country. Firstly, ‘Sindhi Cap and Ajrak’ day was celebrated across Sindh.

In his recent visit to Punjab, he has addressed the public meetings and gatherings in the same manner like the Shaheed Banazir Bhutto and Zuliffiqar Ali Bhutto and is trying to gather support for another electoral bout. Further he went to the people directly to understand their woes and problems. He met party activists who were the sufferers of political victimization during dictatorship. He inaugurated many projects including Chakwal dam, Energy Projects of Faisalabad Textile University. He even attended a get together of the party activists and office bearers.

When President Zardari came to Lahore for five days visit, neither Chief minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif nor Mian Nawaz Sharif were present to receive and welcome the President at the Lahore airport. Mian Shahbaz Sharif was in his visit to Turkey while Mian Nawaz Sharif was busy visiting China holding number of meetings with the Chinese official. The absence of the PML-N leaders during the visit of the President has indeed created some doubts about the rift being created between the two rival parties. This confrontation between the two parties is considered by some experts to be the last nail in the coffin. This political scuffle can bring some serious repercussions for the country.

PML-N just sent one of its ministers to welcome the president when he arrived in Lahore. Due to this latest development, heated debate and statements have been exchanged between PML-N and PPP’s provincial leadership. With the arrival of the President, political climate has turned out to be quite confusing. Both parties’ enthusiasts including central leadership were extremely busy to protect their leaders. In fact the Presidential protocol was not given to the elected President. Proper security was provided to the President and PPP also raised this issue.

Anyways Governor Punjab Salman Taseer, PPP’s provincial leadership and other Ministers received him zealously while a lot of flattery banners and hoardings were placed along the Mall road from the ‘jialas’ and office bearers of the PPP. The Mall looked just like a PPP’s boulevard.

During President’s visit to Lahore, he has assured that PPP will continue to respect the other state organs including Parliament, Judiciary, Executive and Army. While he heard the ‘jialas’ tribulations and acknowledged that problems of the activists have not been dealt properly, he promised to hold monthly ‘darbar’ in Lahore in which problems of the workers would be solved. He also me with the editors of the national newspaper and owners of the media group.

Lahore seemed just like the Federal Capital because Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, Cabinet Ministers including Baber Awan, Firdous Ashiq Awan, Rehman Malik, Fouzia Wahab (secretary information), Moulana Fazlur Rahman, Richard Holbrook (Representative for Af-Pak) along with different diplomats and many other central leaders of the PPP were together with the President at the Governor House. Army Chief was also present in Lahore while the city was clogged due to heavy VVIP’s movements. Honourable President also met with senior journalists, lawyers, newly elected Lahore Press Club’s office bearers and different trade unions.

On Sunday he visited different parts of the city and also met some parliamentarians including Samina Khalid Gurki, Mahreen Anwer Raja and Senator Latif Khan Khosa at their residencies but without protocol and minimal security.

President went to Badshahi Mosque to pay homage to Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum. PPP’s activists were campaigning around with a slogan, “Lahore’s original master has arrived to wipe out specific party’s ruling on it and now Punjab has become a PPP’s Qila.” While the PML-n demanded that President should quit at least party office and should become the symbol of the federation.

President’s Punjab visit has garnered him some positive results of consolidating the party across Punjab, which will be helping him during the upcoming local body elections. Most of his speeches were in Punjabi language. During this visit a major development occurred when Prime Minister and President launched membership drive and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became a first member. It can be said that people’s party has been partially successful in recovering its lost image.

In the world, elected people run the government and states. This is a major tenet of democracy wherein the elected people are empowered. But unfortunately in Pakistan elected government does not accomplish its tenure because of lack of powers. Military establishment has all the real powers and no one can lead without their approval. This is a bitter fact of a democratic state.

Because of the strong military establishment and four coups in Pakistan, it had to suffer in the separation of East and West Pakistan. These coups have wasted forty years but have delivered nothing. Right now Pakistan has been facing a number of very serious crises including energy, water, food, sugar, oil and gas load shedding and many others but establishment wants to relieve President Zardari from his office. This so-called establishment has frequently floated the so-called “minus one formula” that damages the image of democracy.

This is the gravity of the situation and now this establishment should abstain from interrupting into the matter of the government. It is the right of the elected person to govern. This kind of petty attempts should be ended and establishment should give more time to the elected government.

The present government is also concerned that it will have to concentrate to deliver what has been addressed and promised by the elected authorities.

Labels: Democracy, Politics