History of Soft Revolution in Pakistan

                                     

                                        Imran Khan, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf 

                                                                           Public Meeting in Lahore 30 Oct 2011

History of Soft Revolution in Pakistan

Over the past few decades the collective wisdom of the masses in Pakistan has seemingly decided in favor of a soft change instead of a bloody and violent revolution. Though it is a slow process but is likely to have deeper and more sustained effect on the society. Despite the efforts of the forces of status quo to keep the social and political indolence in place, the catalysts of change are actively heading forward with a steady pace.

The First Soft Revolution came in the shape of Freedom of Media. Media, both print and electronic, had started its efforts to break the shackles of the state restrictions during the late 1990s. Interestingly it was during the reign of a military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharaf, that the media acquired its optimum freedom. Since then media has played a vital role in creating awareness in society, analyzing the political situation, exposing the social evils of corruption, lawlessness, favoritism, apathy of the government officials and molding the public opinion in favor of a progressive, peaceful and a just social system. Though the powerful political mafia, who wants to keep the masses ignorant, is all out to coerce, intimidate and pressurize the media to get them in their favor, the media is showing commendable resilience and steadfastness in achieving its objectives. With the passage of time media is likely to be more vibrant, impartial and effective in transforming the society in to a better shape.  

The Second Soft Revolution occurred in the Restoration of Independent Judiciary. The incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan, though one time a beneficiary of Gen Pervez Musharaf’s PCO and a supporter of his unconstitutional rule, asserted himself in 2006-07 by taking a pragmatic stand on issues like Steel Mill, missing persons and sugar scandal etc. His removal from the apex appointment of Chief Justice Supreme Court by Gen Pervez Musharaf led to a vigorous movement by the legal fraternity. Soon this movement swelled beyond proportions in which various political forces also joined. Their aim was to remove the President and restore the dysfunctional chief justice, who was then being seen as a symbol of independence of judiciary and justice at national level. The enforcement of emergency, suspension of constitution and arrest of judges by Gen Pervez Musharaf on 3 Nov 2007 proved as last nail in the coffin of his rule. Movement for restoration of judiciary became a popular national movement that ultimately achieved its objective when the dysfunctional chief justice along with his other companions was restored in March 2009.

Since its restoration the superior judiciary has, by and large, played its role effectively. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a sitting government was dealt with according to law, whereby even Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had to go home for not obeying the Supreme Court orders. An independent judiciary is entirely a new phenomenon in social and political environment of Pakistan, where the powers-that-be are finding it difficult to come to terms with this change. This was the reason why a large number of court orders were never implemented by the government. Despite all the limitations and handicaps, the independent judiciary is coming up well. Like media, the judiciary is also not likely to forfeit its hard earned freedom in coming days. An impartial and independent judiciary is crucial to the sustainability of democracy and progress and prosperity of the country, and it is really a big achievement.

The Third Soft Revolution that is making its headway is the Electoral Reforms Process. Since democracy is the only acceptable political system in today’s world, the elections play a pivotal role in shaping the political and social structure of a country. If the electoral system is faulty, corrupt, tilted in favor of the people with nuisance values and does not provide a level field to all the contesters- as is the case in Pakistan for the past six decades- the result will be total chaos, confusion and destruction. Without reforming the electoral system the same breed of corrupt politicians will keep coming to power again and again and the country will not see any hope of progress.

 

Imran Khan of PTI was the first politician in the present times to kindle this ray of hope to the hapless people of Pakistan. He provided an opportunity to the people to elect an alternate leadership that would replace the custodians of present rotten system, who are occupying the citadels of power. Dr. Tahir ul Qadri of Minhaj ul Quran International provided further impetus to this movement by launching a long march and a sit-in in Islamabad in favor of electoral reforms. Though his efforts met vehement resistance from the forces of status quo, he has been able to make deep impression in the minds of people. The people now stand well educated about various provisions of the constitution and have better knowledge about their own rights and the obligations of those who are voted to power. There is a general craving in the public for conducting meaningful elections. They do not want to do this exercise just for the sake of it and as a ‘business as usual’. That is the reason that despite intense defiance from the ruling and opposition elite, the Election Commission and Supreme Court are being obliged to comply with the aspirations of the people. However this revolution is still in progress and will see its culmination, if the next elections are conducted after requisite reforms.

Akhtar Malik

14 March 2013

General (Retired) Pervez Musharaf Launches his Political Party

1 October 2010

In a bid to start his political career, the former president of Pakistan Gen Pervez Musharaf has announced launching of his political party with the name,’ All Pakistan Muslim League’. He announced this in London today evening while addressing a selected gathering of his loyalists.

The launching of All Pakistan Muslim League is a welcome move that will effect the existing political scenario in the country. Pakistan is passing through a critical stage of her history. People who had pinned their hopes with the democracy have been dismayed with the performance of the elected government. Although Pervez Musharaf was removed from power after he lost his popularity, but the failure of the civilian government has given him new courage to stage a come back in the politics.

Pervez Musharaf has many good qualities. He is upright, outspoken and straight forward person. He is a patriot down to earth and wanted to do many good things for Pakistan. He has the courage to call spade a spade. I remember during the early days of his assuming power he visited Azad Jammu & Kasmir. While addressing the public he categorically said that ‘from now onwards the talks with India will be held on the issue of Kashmir and Kashmir only’. He acted up on his words and when he visited India, the issue of Kashmir was on top of the agenda. Obviously the Indian leaders were not ready to give such a preference to Kashmir, thus the common statement could not be announced and Musharaf came back without signing anything. He was not ready to make unimportant and trivial announcements just to ‘fill in the blank.’

However Pervez Musharaf has many shortcomings also. As a leader he lacks the vision of future. He makes hasty decisions and commits mistakes in the process. He is normally not aware of the results and the outcomes of his actions and statements. He joined hands with the US and allies to fight war on terror and in the process brought all the destruction and miseries of the war to his country. He has many blunders to his credit. Pakistan has suffered a loss of $50 billion in this war but Musharaf failed to receive the compensation from the world community commensurate with the loss. Obviously no amount of compensation can make up the loss of life which is estimated around 20,000.

He entered in discreet agreements with the US whereby he handed over many Pakistani citizens to them on the pretext of their involvement with Al Qaeda. The scandal of missing persons still haunts a large number of families. The drone attacks by the US inside Pakistan is the legacy of Musharaf. The brutal use of force to deal with the terrorists who took refuge in Lal Mosque in Islamabad has left such a deep scar on Pakistan that has not yet heeled. The murder of Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti gave impetus to the fire of hate and has created a deep gulf between the separatists in Balochistan and the pro Pakistan forces. He gave many concessions to India by assuring them of no interference from across the borders in Kashmir without getting anything in return. Rather Pakistan got the acute shortage of water in her rivers, as Indian constructed many dams illegally on those rivers and Pakistani government did not do anything.

A large number of actions of Pervez Musharaf didi not support his rhetoric of ‘Pakistan First’. Had he been true to his words, he would have removed his uniform in 2004 as per his commitment. Moreover he should not have given free hand to his political supporters to indulge in corruption. He should not have sacked Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his impartial inquiries in Steel Mill selling case and missing person case. That was the biggest blunder of Musharaf which cost him his president ship. When the lawyer’s movement duly supported by civil society and political parties grew beyond proportion, Musharaf remained oblivious about what was coming next. Had he been smart enough he would have taken back the references against the Chief Justice and thus had defused the situation. After the reinstatement of the Chief Justice, the case of eligibility for his being in the office and for contesting presidential elections while in uniform came in question in the Supreme Court. Had he kept ‘Pakistan First’ and not his ‘person first’ he would have given free hand to judiciary to decide about his future. Had he lost his office, the heavens would not have fallen. But he abrogated the constitution of the country second time in his tenure in a bid to save his chair and thus sealed his future. Again as a leader he could not comprehend the aftermath of his fateful decision.

Despite all this, his entry into the politics is a good gesture as both the large political parties, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) have failed to deliver. There is no other leader as yet who can fill the gap and lead the country. If Pervez Musharaf is successful on his return to Pakistan, it will be more due to the failure of other parties rather than for his political acumen. However if Pervez Musharaf is serious in playing some positive role in the politics, he will have to restore his credibility which he lost during the last phase of his being in power. He will have to learn lessons from the mistakes of the past. He will have to be in step with the aspirations of the people. He will have to create a balance in his diplomatic relations with other powers, particularly the US. He will to take a firm stand on issues like Kashmir and Indus water treaty with India. It must be known to Pervez Musharaf that the environment in Pakistan are now quite different. The judiciary is independent and the media is free. The people are now well aware of what all is happening even behind the curtains. So the governance in Pakistan will not be bed of roses now.

And last but not the least. It is inspiring to learn that the insignia on the party flag of Pervez Musharaf is the eagle. This reminds me of the ‘Shaheen (eagle) of Iqbal. I hope Pervez Musharaf knows the traits of the ‘eagle of Iqbal’. This nation direly needs that eagle. You never know this privilege becomes the fortune of Pervez Musharaf, but only if he proves to be capable of handling that responsibility.

Advocating a French- style Revolution may do no good to Pakistani Society.

Mr. Altaf Hussain, leader of MQM ( Mutahida Qaumi Movement) while making a telephonic address to a gathering of workers on 2 September 2010, has cautioned that a revolution in Pakistan is on the door steps. He urged the workers to motivate the people to get prepared for a revolution on the lines of French Revolution. He reiterated that feudal lords and corrupt politicians, who will be the primary target in the revolution, will not be allowed to escape. He said that those who have looted the national wealth will be hanged in public. Mr Altaf Hussain urged the armed forces and the establishment to join hands with the people of Pakistan for this revolution.

The sincerity of MQM leader cannot be doubted. The speech of the leader is a reflection of the desire that only a revolution can bail out the country from the rotten system which has eaten away all the resources and abilities of this great nation. The desire of the leader of a political party that claims to be the representative of the middle and lower classes of Pakistan to spear head the revolution, sounds logical. However we have to analyze all the pros and cons of such an occurrence.

First of all, the possibility of a bloody revolution has receded in the present times. Given the fantastic spread of electronic media and the ensuing awareness in the civil society, the people have become wiser than before. They now have better knowledge what to do and what not to do.

Secondly, the people of Pakistan have lost faith in the present political leaders. Presently no leader has the credibility to lead a nation wide revolution / movement. Almost all the leaders have a myopic viewpoint as far as their political profile is concerned. It at all a revolution takes place; it will determine its own course and will tend to bring forward its own leadership.

Thirdly, today we live in a world that has been turned into a global village. None of our action, including a revolution, will go unnoticed by the global powers that matter. Those powers would not like anything to happen that may jeopardize their grand / strategic plans in the region. If they feel that some thing is cooking up, they will interfere and try to defuse the situation.

A bloody revolution is not recommended because it may neither produce any favorable results nor will it do any good to the society. Pakistani society has already become frustrated and violent over the past many years due to multiple factors. A bloody revolution will only brutalize it further. At the end of the day there will be nothing but anarchy and confusion. There is a possibility that the rogue elements may hijack the revolution. People will take the law into their own hands and the scenes of brutal incidents of Sialkot will be repeated on the streets. I am sure that even if the revolution takes place, the big fish will slip way to their heavens abroad where they have amassed their wealth. Only the innocent ones and the people with much lesser crimes will be left to be victimized.

There is no doubt that it is only the people who can bring revolution. However best way to bring revolution is to change the system through ballet. The electorate will have to be educated by the political parties who really want to bring a change. Our religion Islam also denounces any violence or disturbance in the society. Islam advocates change through consultation ( mushawarat) that is by peaceful means. In my opinion this is the only plausible way out and our political leaders should work on this agenda.

Pakistan Cricket Board again under clouds for allegations of Match Fixing

The British police along with the Scotland Yard raided the hotel accommodation of Pakistani cricket players on the tip off of the match fixing. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/7971107/Cricket-match-fixing-suspicion-falls-on-80-games.html

Some of the suspects have been arrested on the suspicions of betting fix. The inquiry has been ordered in Pakistan as well for this scam. President Asif Ali Zardari has asked for a detailed report on this event.

The episode has seriously tarnished the image of Pakistan at home as well as abroad. The Pakistan Cricket Board had not yet recovered from the earlier shocks like humiliating defeats of the national cricket team in various one-day and test matches. The senior management has assured that if the allegations are proved, all those who are involved in the matter will be severely punished.

It is impetant that the matter should be seen from many angles. The view point of a conspiracy against our national team may also not be over looked. A person named Mazhar Maheed who has been arrested by British police may reveal many secrets.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ .

It is hoped that, given the seriousness of the occurrence, the senior management of the PCB and the Government of Pakistan will take effective steps that would ward off the possibility of repetition of such disasters again.

Altaf Hussain’s Statement creates Stir in Political Waters

The self exiled leader of a political party MQM (Motahida Quami Movement) has given a statement in London that if some patriotic generals of Pakistan Army took any martial law-type action against the feudal lords and corrupt politician the MQM will support that action.

This statement from a leader whose party politically controls the urban population centers of Sindh and claims to be the true representative of middle and lower middle class was astonishing for the other political elite of the country. Almost all the parties, including the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) have condemned it. They say that it is a conspiracy to derail the democracy and again bring in the military dictatorship. The stance of MQM leaders is that they do not favor martial law but some sort of military interference is necessary to take the country out of the quagmire which is taking heavy toll in terms of economic, political and social degradation. A veteran political leader, Pir Pagara, who is known for his close association with the Army has also supported the idea. A bout of statements and counter statements from different leaders is going on.

The desire of Mr. Altaf Hussain seems to sincere and can termed as a short cut measure to cure the ills of the country. However the past experience shows that military interference in the political affairs of Pakistan has never borne the desired results. Military governments, although duly welcomed by the public at the initial stage have invariably fell short of people’s expectations. As a matter of fact Army is not a suitable instrument to bring revolution. It is meant to defend the country from the enemies of the state. And this is where it wins the hearts and minds of the people. When it interferes in the politics and takes over the reins of power it suffers from the problem of legitimacy right from the start. The military dictator becomes hostage to the puppet politicians that he creates for his justification in power. Similarly he is pressurized and blackmailed by foreign powers and is forced to act according to their wishes. Hence the hope of a patriotic revolution evaporates in the air. The Army then starts losing its prestige in the eyes of public who start looking forward to elections and democracy, and hence the vicious circle goes on and on. The result is always a total despair for the people.

I think it is high time now that the politicians should learn how to conduct their business of statesmanship without looking towards the Army. It will be much better for sincere leaders like Mr. Altaf Hussain and others that if they think that the regime in Pakistan is inept and should be changed, they should come forward and mobilize the public opinion in that direction., instead of favoring a military interference that has got inherent dangers for the country. This is how the democracy will flourish.

Pakistani Nation bravely fights the Battle against Flood

Pakistan is facing the worst floods of its history. The unusual climatic changes have resulted in devastating floods. As per the initial survey of UNO, almost 20,000,000 people have directly suffered from the flood. The province of Khaiber Pakhtunkhwa was the initial victim, followed by southern Punjab and then plain areas of Balochistan. The flooding waters have now entered the province of Sindh and till date no end to this calamity is visible.

For the last about five years Pakistan has been subjected to most horrible kind of terrorism. The suicide bomb attacks have taken a heavy toll of human life and property. The devastating earthquake of 2005 has yet not been forgotten. In both the calamities Pakistani nation had proved its worth and came out successful. The terrorist groups have been decidedly beaten out of Swat and South Waziristan. Their remnants are being perused vigorously in other parts of the country, particularly the tribal belt. The public support to these miscreant outfits had been severed properly and they are on the run. However given the support and funding from their foreign masters, they still show their appearance on certain occasions. The credit goes to Pakistan Army in particular for this marvelous achievement.

While fighting the battle against flood, Pakistan Army is again on the fore front. Areas where the flood water has receded, the Army has begun reconstruction work for the destroyed bridges and roads. The management of relief camps is mainly being done by the Army. The way the people stranded in flooded areas were evacuated by military helicopters was worth noticing.

The coming months will be a period of trial both for the nation and the government. Apart from social problems the economic burden will be enormous. So far a rough estimate says that Pakistan has suffered a loss of Rs 400-500 billion, and this estimate is going to swell. Although the loss is colossal but I am sure that Pakistan nation will come out victorious from this disaster as well.

Constitutional Package in Despair. Another Crisis in Making?

Just a day or two ahead of the scheduled presentation of constitutional amendment package in the parliament and the address of President Asif Ali Zardari, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Shareef addressed a press conference in Islamabad on 25 March 2010 and stunned everybody. He said that consensus on procedure for appointment of judges in superior judiciary could not be achieved with the government and hence the constitutional amendment bill will delayed for its presentation in the parliament. He also suggested that Chief Justice of The Supreme Court may be consulted for the proposed amendment. He said that issue of renaming of North Western Frontier Province is also to be decided as yet.

This has created a stir in the political circles. Many doubts / questions are being raised about the real intentions of PML-N. Will the Pakistani nation ever hear the long awaited good news of repealing the notorious 17^th amendment introduced by ex president General Pervez Musharaf in the constitution? The new suggestions put forward by Nawaz Shareef have become controversial even in legal fraternity, not to talk of the political parties. It seems as if the onus of resolving the issue has been placed on Nawaz Shareef instead of the ruling party PPP led by Mr. Asif Ali Zardari. We hope that all the stake-holders will learn lessons from the past and settle this crucial matter within days (not even weeks) so that the nation resumes its journey towards its objectives of true democracy and rule of law.