Rao Dilshad Hussain

Today Pakistan is suffering from worst floods in decades in which millions of people have affected and still they are missing while hundreds among them have lost their lives and business. It was the right time to look after the flood victims by the government and other effective welfare organizations. Politicians should mobilise the nation for helping the victims but unfortunately politician whether they are from the ruling parties or opposition parties are seeming very busy in point scoring regarding the President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit of Britain because of having floods in the vast parts of the country and the Prime Minister David Cameron’s derogatory statement regarding Pakistan during his visit to India.

After Cameron’s statement not only opposition parties but also government’s major ally Altaf Hussain also suggested to the president for abandoning the UK’s visit. As a matter of the fact the President Zardari’s had to visited France and UK that both tours were decided earlier as it’s not so easy to manage the trips of the heads of the states. It was the need of the hour he should have to call off particularly UK’s visit.

So in fact there was no need to criticise his UK’s visit as it was done. Particularly those like Nawaz Sharif who has great many assets in UK. Firstly he should bring back his money back to the country then he should boycott the UK and he should never go there but actually after every two or three weeks Nawaz Sharif frequently visits to UK to look after their business and various other matters as well while Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also has to go there for medical treatment once in a month.

President Zardari always faces criticism and has to victimise if anything happens in the country. This time also critics behave in the same manners. He just started his official visit to France the critics once again seemed in action and both tours were highly criticised and political leaders and critics started blame game and many baseless allegations imposed on him in terms of expenditures. So after receiving criticism he decided to visit UK privately.

Sunday plus strived to analysed President Asif Ali Zardari’s dual visits in which prior he left the country for France and then he arrived London on 3rd of august and started his five days private visit.

Comparatively in his official tour to France President Zardari was received zealously. He reached there few entourages like Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Bilawal Bhutoo Zardari. During this visit Zardari met his counterpart President Nicolas Sarkozy in which Zardari had talked to enhance the cooperation in every sector particularly bilateral relations, Defense and Economic assistance as well.

As a matter of fact that France is a prestigious ally of Pakistan and it always provided financial assistance to Pakistan even during humanitarian crises. Now French Foreign Minister has assured that Pakistan always would be on the top priority to assist in flood like situation and various economic issues were also resolved.

While visiting France President Zardari urged the western world to make the economic assistance possible because Pakistan’s economy had to suffer a lot due to war on terror and floods. He stressed that world should focus to empower the people of Pakistan then would have to watch out from the non state actors. He emphasised that should step forward to make the possibilities of activation of civil nuclear agreements with Pakistan to meet the energy crises.

Ultimately it was a successful visit and zardari was managed to achieve set objectives. The visit was achieved milestone when Pakistan and France were both agreed to establish the Joint Economic Commission that would be addressed the issues of food, agricultural, economical and under this commission France will train the nurses and Pakistan would be able to export them to the UAE.

During this visit France also assured to expedite the pledged payment that was promised in Tokyo‘s meeting of friends of democratic Pakistan’s platform. The establishment of the joint economic commission was really a milestone for the country because right now nobody including America wants to empower the people of Pakistan but huge amount of money is being wasted for accomplishment of the their own agendas by the western world.

Everybody trusts on India while Pakistan has to take the loss of hundred of lives and billions of dollars. But everyday many more speculation present as Pakistan is assisting the terrorists but in fact Pakistan had to bear great many losses due to so called war on terror. Pakistan has paid a huge price for this war. During this visit President Sarkozy promised to visit Pakistan in near future.

After the successful visit Zardari left the France for UK on 3rd of august for his five days private visit despite the reservations of the opposition because of the Cameron’s gaffe statement in which he said that Pakistan would not be allowed to export the terrorism while visit of the UK was already decided months ago but because of the Cameron gaffe that he made during his visit to India and because of the derogatory remarks of the Cameron everybody including opposition parties are criticising President Zardari’s trip to UK and they all urged that this visit should be cancelled because Pakistan is suffering from many crises and despite of sacrificing a lot of lives and finances during the war against terrorism even then world leaders are not acknowledging the Pakistani services for this war. Everyday Pakistani spy agencies have to face baseless allegations and that is why in protesting one of the influential spy chief Shuja Pasha had to abandon his trip to UK.

Zardari wants to address the people party’s activists in Birmingham where bilawal also had to addressed his maiden speech. This was the main reason to keep the tour continue and zaradri sab wants to get popularity at any cost. He addressed to more than seven thousand activists. This is the mind set. So this tour proved that he wants to prolong his party politics and keep alive himself in the minds of the activists. During his joy trip he also met the cabinet ministers and many other legislators.

It is the gravity of the time that at this moment every official should have to be here in with the flood victims and the trips could be shortest and may be arranged next time. .But seeing the non serious attitude of the rulers during floods it seems that the people of Pakistan are not the priority of the rulers. Rulers always have the sympathy wave for the people but just in the speeches particularly during election campaigns.

After getting into powers they don’t want to address the masses’ issues then they just focus to strengthen their political heirs as President Zardari did in his visits. Millions of public finances are being wasted during the joy trips and organising political shows but for helping the flood victims rulers are looking down upon towards the donors. Though it is too difficult to meet the floods but presence of the rulers among the masses can be over come their grievances.

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.