THE saying “Is Hamam Mein Sab Nangey” is befitting of our present man-made crises, with little men attired in branded suits, busy spoiling the broth unconcerned with its consequences. Having been in politics, I shudder to think of our constitutional heads in Pakistan playing a dangerous game to bury the nation. From day one, I have been advocating that 90 days for an election after the dissolution of parliament is not a divine condition, especially considering the worst experiences of past governance through rigged elections.
This reached its climax after the 1988 election when the Punjab Chief Minister defied the lawful orders of the Prime Minister, leading to the creation of IJI, submission of affidavits admitting to the distribution of money to politicians in courts, the Mehrangate Scam, and the dislodgement of the Benazir government under 58(2)b. National resources and time were wasted on this musical chairs scenario. When Imran Khan became Prime Minister in 2018, the prestige of parliament was torpedoed.
The PM was not willing to shake hands with the Leader of the Opposition, and then, when a No-Confidence motion was tabled, the Speaker, sitting in Bani Gala, played circus through the Deputy Speaker via WhatsApp messaging. The voting was rushed minutes before the midnight deadline, with Apex Court Judges assembling at 11:30 p.m to pass a judgment if the ruling party resisted the voting. This has brought the rudderless statecraft struggling to save from the typhoon. Still, we are not ready to accept that our entire system has collapsed. We have failed to establish a welfare state; everyone for the past two decades has compromised on IMF conditionalities. No one has staged a single demonstration against IMF muscle-pulling and the resultant 300% increase in the cost of living and rising poverty.
In 1980, when the MRD alliance was formed, an exercise of seeking party views on the existing political system was carried out. Many parties submitted their views, and on behalf of PML (Chatha), I suggested a grand national government for ten years, comprising ten people of impeccable character, with the main task of holding three general elections every three years to develop and educate voters and candidates to come forward with the aim of national service rather than plundering state coffers. Additionally, I suggested amending the constitution to hold general elections under a “Proportional Representation System,” the best-suited system to eliminate feudal control, now the newly exposed establishment’s control. Having been a Member of the FACC, I experienced how the ruling government and bureaucracy created obstacles in my work on the accountability desk. I decided to bid farewell to government and politics in 1996, and since then, I have written articles and letters that have not been published by His Master’s Voice print media. The tragic mudslinging that started from the February general election has gone to prove they were not to elect members based on people’s votes but rather on “Establishment’s Selection.”
Now, the tentacles of this failed exercise have spread to blackmail chiefs of constitutional and security organizations, and if the situation is not timely tackled with honesty, justice and fairness, nobody will be able to control it. It’s time to throw away our egos, develop consensus on vital national issues, including holding elections under the PR System, the only answer to our present malaise. Forge greater consensus on national issues to protect solidarity, unity and geography.
—The author is a former Central Information Secretary of PML (Khairuddin & Qasim Group).
Email: balti1551@gmail.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
