On the face of it, Mr Nawaz Sharif seems to be a big loser in the current turn of events. But this may not necessarily be true. Mr Sharif’s victory in 1990 was hollow, many of his ‘achievements’ since then largely illusory, even downright fraudulent. But now, compelled to stand on his own two feet, he is on the verge of becoming a leader in the true sense of the term. Good luck to him.
Mr Ishaq Khan, too, has managed to salvage some sorely needed pride in the dying moments of his Presidency. History is a terrible mistress but Mr Khan’s parting gift to the country of genuinely fair elections may neutralise the error of his ways from August 1990 to April 1993. Good luck to him too.
The real winner, of course, is the Pakistan army. Gen Asif Nawaz won the hearts and minds of Sindhis in 1992 while Gen Abdul Waheed has won ungruding laurels from every Pakistani in 1993.
So, three cheers for Gen Abdul Waheed! Here is a General who could have taken sides. But he didn’t. Indeed, he could have seized power at any time during the crisis and no one would have questioned his compulsions. But he didn’t. Instead, the Chief has brokered a fine “political deal” within the ambit of the constitution.
The people of Pakistan have heaved an enormous sigh of relief with the end of the war between Ishaq Khan and Nawaz Sharif. Yet they remain deeply cynical about the efficacy of elections in the absence of constitutional reform. Of course, there is nothing the caretakers can do about changing the system. But prime minister Moeen Qureshi can, indeed must, make sure that the new government which takes power next October is not crippled by any crisis of legitimacy as in 1990.
On that score, there is room for optimism. For the first time since 1970, we can look forward to fair elections under an impartial administration. Fortunately, Mr Qureshi has no political ambitions. As a matter of fact, he is probably sacrificing his health in the service of his country.
Nor should anyone worry too much about the political leanings of Mr Wasim Sajjad, the acting-President. Mr Sajjad may be a member of the Muslim League but he is a man of integrity and much too seasoned a politician to even think of muddying the waters at this critical juncture. In fact, should a neutral Presidency grow on him, he could prove his bonafide as a consensus candidate next November.
Some of the other caretakers are also said to be conservative men with a ’tilt’ towards the Muslim League. No matter. We would all like to believe that they will acquit themselves honourably.
Nevertheless, Mr Qureshi would be advised to make note of some crucial points in order to facilitate his objectives.
(1) The Election Commission should be revamped. In particular, the Chief Election Commissioner Mr Justice (Retd) Naeemuddin, who conducted the controversial 1990 polls, should be immediately replaced by a person of stature like Mr Justice (retd) Dorab Patel of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Mr Patel will know exactly how to make the Election Commission effective and impartial.
(2) If there are no insuperable technical problems, elections to both the national and provincial assemblies should be held on the same day.
(3) Members of the caretaker cabinets should disclose all their assets and liabilities as well as forfeit right to any public favour or office for the next five years.
(4) State owned media and the Ministry of Information must be ‘cleansed’ of hard-core political activists or loyalists. Equal time should be given to all the major parties for presentation of manifestos and views.
(5) All local bodies must be immediately dissolved and their funds should be frozen. The Zakat, Ushr and Baitul Maal committees, long known as dens of corruption and patronage, should be sent packing.
(6) Provincial administrations should be overhauled. Too many ACs, DCs, Commissioners, DSPs, SPs and IGs are politically tainted.
(7) Ways to monitor and control electioneering expenses should be seriously explored and implemented.
It is, of course, proper that Prime Minister Moeen Qureshi should devote some of his energies to salvaging the country’s bankrupt economy. But he would be failing in his primary duty to give Pakistan a legitimate new start if his efforts are found to be lacking in establishing a vigourous and fiercely neutral administration.
At any rate, the Pakistan army high command has cut the cloth to suit the situation. It is now up to General Abdul Waheed and his ‘boys’ to make sure that it fits properly. So if the army thinks it has done its job and can afford to relax, it has another thought coming. This is an extraordinary situation. It will require extraordinary efforts to steer the ship of state in the next three months. The army’s neck is on the line. It must make sure that the caretakers are not misled by the guiles of self-seeking ‘advisors’ or loud-mouthed contenders for power.