By Shaikh Manzoor Ahmed
dawn.com
Thank God , we are still one nation ( forget about the Eastern wing) -JPR
NOTWITHSTANDING dire predictions, over the last two decades, by several renowned political
analysts of Pakistan's imminent collapse as a nation state, we have somehow managed to confound
our virulent critics by seeing off the 20th century and limping into the 21st as a single nation, without
suffering death or decapitation.
This in itself is no mean achievement considering how ruthlessly our wayward rulers have ravaged the national polity and pauperized the country by their reckless follies and misdeeds.
Mian Nawaz Sharif's ouster on October 12 last year was widely welcomed not on account of any
illusions in the public mind about military governance - three long spells of martial law since 1958
having disabused the people of any fanciful notions in this regard - but because it spelled the end of
Nawaz regime's misrule, which had not only destroyed the national economy but, because of its
divisive policies, also gravely imperilled the federation's future by creating deep discord among the
provinces.
Citizens were hoping, perhaps wishfully, that the military regime would carry out a swift surgical
operation to effectively erase the worst excesses and blunders of the Nawaz Sharif government within
a few months and then make way, not long afterwards, for a clean and competent new civilian
government to try and rescue the nation from its desperate predicament. Such a reconstruction task
requires not only good governance but also willing cooperation and enthusiastic participation of the
governed, which would obviously be forthcoming more readily under a civilian government.
It is, of course, too early to talk about immediate restoration of democracy, but it has to be
recognized that military rule cannot provide a long-term or even a medium-term solution for the very
serious multidimensional problems confronting the nation. Consequently, resumption of the political
process should not be delayed unduly, nor should there be any reluctance in announcing a reasonable
timeframe for it. This would be very much in the larger interest of the nation and, indeed, of the armed
forces themselves.
For any new government, the first three to four months' 'honeymoon' period is considered to be
crucially important for establishing its credentials and stamping its own imprint on important policies
and the overall apparatus of governance. The disillusioned and disenchanted citizenry of Pakistan had
pinned high hopes on the military regime but, regrettably, these have remained unfulfilled. The
incumbent regime is already over three and a half months old now but there has been very little, if any,
positive impact so far on the lives of ordinary people. The public perception is that the regime has not
proved equal to its admittedly difficult task and is floundering.
It would be appropriate at this stage to attempt an appraisal of the rather modest progress achieved
so far in respect of certain important items in the Chief Executive's seven-point agenda.
The promised economic revival is nowhere in sight yet and remains a vague and distant prospect.
The long comatose stock exchange has, of course, lately started showing some signs of life but the
badly hurt small investor finds it difficult to accept that this could be the start of a genuine recovery.
Pump and dump---JPR
Instead, he is inclined to believe that the market is once again being cleverly manipulated by
unscrupulous big operators who will perhaps continue to push up the prices artificially for a while and
then pull out suddenly to reap handsome profits. The resulting crash in market prices would, it is
feared, devastate large numbers of small investors. In this kind of sceptical mood, a sustained bull run
on the stock market is quite unlikely.
The untouchables - The wealthy, the criminals -JPR
Generally speaking, the national economy continues to be in deep disarray, which has caused
widespread distress at every level of society (excluding, of course, the super-rich and the thriving
criminal class with all its illegal sources of income) throughout the country. The average citizen feels
terribly let down as he has not been provided any meaningful financial relief so far in spite of raging
inflation.
Big loan default and tax evasion - the game of the powerful business lobby-JPR
The high-profile campaign against big loan defaulters and tax evaders appears to have run out of
steam, much to the consternation of the general public. Even though less than five per cent of the
outstanding dues of about Rs 225 billion could be recovered by the stipulated deadline, the
government appears to have softened its attitude towards defaulters, presumably because of the
blackmailing tactics adopted by the powerful business lobby.
Kid gloves and sacred cows -JPR
The new soft approach to big defaulters is likely to have very adverse consequences; it will not only
whet their appetites for even more spectacular depredations, but will also convince aspiring new
entrepreneurs that the best way forward in business is to secure huge loans by hook or by crook and
then, duly assisted by corrupt bankers, default on payment at the earliest opportunity on some pretext
or the other. As this "borrow heavily and default" culture gathers strength, the nation will, before long,
be drowned in a massive flood of defaults - a terrifying prospect indeed!
Apart from its very slow pace so far, there appears to have been a retreat on the promised
across-the-board accountability process. The sacred cow syndrome - the age-old bane of our society
ú appears to have reared its ugly head once again.
ú
ú Judiciary and the armed forces not accountable now
ú We are told that the superior judiciary and the armed forces would not be covered by the accountability process as they already have efficient
in-house accountability systems in place. This argument is not at all convincing. The civil services, too,
have an elaborate system of accountability for all grades of officials. However, as is well known, this
system has not been functioning satisfactorily, which is why it has become necessary to evolve a more
effective new mechanism for accountability.
If we are really serious about curbing corruption effectively at all levels in various government
organizations and agencies, we should have a permanent and completely independent accountability
commission with at least five full-time members of great distinction and integrity drawn from different
professional backgrounds - something akin to the FPSC structure but with much greater authority and
resources. The commission's jurisdiction should cover accountability cases relating to all organizations
without any exception whatsoever.
While there were many irritants before, inter-provincial relations took a nose-dive after Mian Nawaz
Sharif's thoughtless TV pronouncement that Kalabagh dam would be built at all costs; this ignited a
firestorm of protest in the smaller provinces and created inter-provincial tensions which were doused
with great difficulty after a considerable lapse of time.
It is essential for inter-provincial harmony to ensure that all provinces are treated with absolute fairness
and leaders of public opinion and senior government functionaries desist from making provocative
statements on sensitive issues so that raw emotions of the uninformed public are not inflamed or
exploited by vested interests to the detriment of national solidarity.
Devolution of power right down to the grassroots level would be a very healthy development.
However, the role of the provincial governments must not be undermined as this can lead to serious
complications. Nor should there be any attempt to divide the country into several smaller provinces as
is being advocated by certain interested groups. It must not be forgotten that it was these provinces
that voted in 1946 to create Pakistan and not the other way about. Any attempt to abolish the existing
provinces would result not in improved administration as claimed but in whipping up ethnic and
inter-regional tensions which could seriously jeopardize the future of the country. What we really need
to pre-empt the political convulsions we get afflicted with so regularly is to ensure that the country is
governed as a genuine democratic federation with maximum provincial autonomy, a lean centre, and
well functioning local government institutions to manage primary social tasks efficiently. This type of
set-up would help create the much needed sense of empowerment and full and equal participation in
national affairs among people of all regions of the country, thereby promoting national harmony and
integration.
Experiments with democracy gone awry - JPR
It is indeed tragic that our repeated experiments with democratic rule have proved so terribly
disappointing. Perhaps this is because we have never been either a true democracy or a true
federation, though we badly need to be both. The long spells of military rule, too, have been equally, if
not more, disastrous. Yet, the answer to our political problem does not lie in moving in the opposite
direction - in despairing of the democratic system and abandoning it but in introducing appropriate
changes in our electoral system and laws so as to minimize the role of money and muscle power and
maximize the importance of a candidate's education, character, competence, and integrity for elections
at all levels - local, provincial, and national. The high calibre of elected representatives resulting from
such change would inevitably have a very salutary impact on the quality of governance in the country.
The present regime has reportedly set up a task force to recommend necessary changes in this regard
which, hopefully, will be thrown open to public debate before final approval so that best results can be
achieved.
Have you seen this person? We are worried sick. we need to find him soon for rehabilitation. He may not be taking his medications as expected.
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