Dr. Umar Khan

khanmomar@hotmail.com

Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.

28-12-14

 

Military Courts and fight against terror

"Terrorism is how the poor wage war. War is how the rich wage terrorism."
- Peter Ustinov

Pakistan was shocked by the massacre of school children in Peshawar. This shock turned into rage within no time imparting a compulsive need to respond to this atrocity effectively. In no time, the moratorium on death penalty was removed resulting in the hangings of convicts within days, as well as numerous bombing raids carried out in Waziristan. The army chief went to Afghanistan asking for the terrorist commanders based there and the politicians sat together to devise an action plan. All this was fine but then we heard about the decision to establish military courts for the terror cases headed by serving military officers, kind of a judicial “nazria-e-zaroorat” or doctrine of necessity.  

Military courts have a sad history in Pakistan, having been established by all military governments of the past (except Musharraf), along with many political governments, including Bhutto’s and PML(N)’s. They have never resulted in anything good, creating lots of complications instead, complications which lasted for years and gave way to new problems. The lesson learnt by the history of military courts tell us that the doctrine of necessity or ignoring law for exigency has always caused more harm than benefit and must be avoided.

Pakistan has seen this kind of national consensus and mobilization before, consensus which got wasted by diversions. Hanging convicts hastily and bombing targets, which were earlier not considered important enough, might be needed but are superficial and temporary steps which cannot be a substitute for the solid far reaching actions needed badly. I fear that concrete steps against real ills causing this terrorism might get ignored because of these cathartic moves aimed more at cooling down, or rather, appeasing national rage than addressing actual issues.

Establishment of military courts is a “no confidence” move against judiciary and might be bordering on outright insult. Our judiciary, like all other institutions might be lacking but handing over its duties to another institution is not the answer. If there are weaknesses in our judiciary, these should be identified and corrected. We can criticize but must never insult or humiliate them. It is the institutions that make and strengthen a state and judiciary is one of the most important. Judges are trained to interpret the law and decide about the criminality whereas the army officers are not. Military courts headed by best officers might get convictions but can never dispense justice. One wrong conviction can put the nation back a long way, seriously damaging the credibility of criminal justice system and nation as a whole.

                                                    

We must never succumb to the temptation to overlook the due process of law for our conveniences. We must never forget that an accused is an accused until proven guilty and must not give in to feelings of rage and retribution even with terrorists. It is respect for law that differentiates the civilized from the barbarians; the terrorists from the patriots. Ignoring the due process of law takes away our moral superiority, something we cannot afford, and by establishing military courts, we run the risk of jeopardizing this morality.

Instead of establishing military courts we should further develop, strengthen and protect our judiciary. It is the state’s responsibility to give proper protection to the judges, prosecutors and witnesses, a responsibility it hasn’t been fulfilling. When it comes to determining convictions, training of the police in scientific methods of investigation is also an important step; again, one that is not being taken.

Once the immediate threats are addressed, we must tackle the real issues; issues that began as mild forms of militarism and extremism and spiraled into rampant militancy and ended as outright terrorism.

Militarism can be defined as “domination of the military man over the civilian, an undue preponderance of military demands, an emphasis on military considerations” or “exaltation of military virtues and ideals” or “the tendency to regard military efficiency as the supreme ideal of the state and to subordinate all other interests to those of the military” or better still, “strong influence of military on government: a high level of influence by military personnel and ideals in the government or policies of a country or state.”

By this definition, we have been developing unbelievable and unsustainable levels of militarism, gradually sliding down to our present pathetic situation.

For this let us explore its genesis.

An unrepresentative military government abrogated the constitution, got us into a foreign war and encouraged non-state armed groups. All this was done while military courts were functioning and debate was strictly forbidden. Yes I am referring to the dark decade of the Zia-ul-Haq era, the military dictator who punished freedom of speech, and got us entangled into the mess of the Afghan war. Ultimately our society developed in a strange militarist way where bombs and missiles were idolized and displayed in the public domain of cities. Public schools had tanks and cannon as decorations; something absolutely unheard of. Talk of arms and bombs became popular along with geopolitics and wars in the educated middle classes. Extremists groups were armed and trained and then released into different war theaters. The stage was being set for the catastrophe that we are now facing.  Anyone daring to disagree or mentioning the risks involved was slapped down and marginalized; labeled as “unpatriotic”.

This policy effectively ended the state’s monopoly over use of force, weakening it tremendously. Lavish supply of dollars and arms produced a crop of megalomaniacs harboring dreams of conquering other countries and treating them as strategic depth for Pakistan. Thousands of armed, trained extremists were treated as strategic assets to be used as a tool, imparting dignity to these undisciplined armed groups and thus, legitimizing their “jihad”. These armed groups that we created, have now turned their backs on us; and what we gladly accepted as jihad against foreign and Godless agents in the past, has now become a very real terrorist reality against us.

Now we have no option but to accept that our militaristic paradigm has failed miserably. It has caused us lot of harm without any dividends. This militaristic frame of mind has made our lovely Pakistan into a pariah state known for all the wrong reasons.

Hanging or killing extremist militants is not the answer, as they themselves are looking for death. Indiscriminate bombings is not the answer either, because each innocent life lost in collateral damage can create many more desperate fighters willing to lay down their lives. We must change the mindset and thinking pattern of our people and the terrorists by giving them a plausible narrative they can understand. Fatwas against terrorism by religious scholars, enlightened curricula of the madaris and our adherence to law can go a long way in winning this battle.

Punishments or negative reinforcements certainly have a role to play but they should only be dispensed after due process of law. A criminal should be punished not to fulfill the desire for vengeance or rage of a person or institution but only for deterrence and if the law says so and military courts can’t be very helpful here.

Discussions of good and bad Taaliban must stop and we must dismantle even compliant extremist organizations arranging for their rehabilitation, as well as parties broadcasting a similar extremist mindset. Unfortunately, despite the recent uproar against the terrorists, this point needs more attention.

Pakistan has to fight the root cause of this problem, which is, militarism of society. This fight will be helped by strengthening of political and civil institutions like the parliament, judiciary, executive and political parties. We must also encourage debate and reign in our propensity to be the frontline state making money in the process. Military courts can be detrimental in all these endeavors. I just cannot understand how and why did Nawaz Sharif and all other political parties agreed to them.

There is still time for action. The proposal of military courts must be rejected. These can only be established by a constitutional amendment and the parliament must discuss all aspects of this situation, including the existing and historical risks and benefits. Judiciary can always strike it down even if the parliament is coerced into agreeing, as it is against the very spirit of our constitution, as well as the principles of democracy. Parliament should also avoid making more laws as we are already over regulated. The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. We don’t need more laws but the implementation of the laws already in place.

Our most important and valuable (newfound) asset, the civil society, must resist these trials against democracy and justice. We are a civilized nation and have the ability to develop civil institutions, including an independent and assertive judiciary. Let’s protect our judiciary and give it a chance to rise to the occasion in our fight against terrorism.

khanmomar@hotmail.com

Sovereignty and honor of Pakistan

Dr. Umar Khan

khanmomar@hotmail.com

Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.

26-11-13

 

 

Sovereignty of Pakistan

 

American drone bombings apart from killing thousands of Pakistanis has divided the society. The recent missile attack on the settled area of Hangu has further deepened this cleavage. On one had there is a segment of society that approves of drone strategy and believes and preaches that smart bombs cleverly differentiates between the good and the bad before killing. They also argue that the terrorists have killed tens of thousands so a few hundred or thousand more innocent deaths are justified especially if we are getting money from the US. This segment of society is more vocal belonging to the upper strata at times accused of collaborating with the killers for personal benefits. The other group opposed to these killing by drones blaming it for loss of innocent lives and sovereignty of Pakistan. They get labeled as extremists, Taliban apologists and at times “Ghairat Brigade” suggesting that they are looking for national honor that is absolutely impractical for a poor country like Pakistan.

 

In an interdependent modern world nations don’t enjoy absolute sovereignty like a few centuries back. Still there are acceptable and unacceptable limits whose boundaries at times get blurred. Aerial attacks in another country with missiles causing human loss is considered absolutely unacceptable in any serious setup and society. Surprisingly still there are more drone justifiers in Pakistan, its chief victim, than any other place.

 

The strong legal position leaves many options for Pakistan like going to the UN and the International Court of Justice with a decent chance of winning.  It doesn’t resort to these measures despite making lots of empty noises due to two reasons. 1. Pakistan’s record in fighting terrorism has at times been questionable and 2. Its economy is on life support, extremely feeble needing constant foreign help or may I say alms to survive.

 

This pathetic situation has made Pakistan the most abused and maligned helpless punching bag of the super powers. It gets its people killed from all sides, suffers a damaged economy due to wars and then gets blamed for everything. Inability to protest against them makes it even more pitiful.

 

Now it absolutely clear that the biggest threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty doesn’t come from any foreign intrigues or maneuverings but our own self-destructory behavior and habits. Let us see  

 

Our habit of getting in other’s wars acting like hired guns along with our megalomaniac ideas of strategic depth and conquests despite a wretched economy has really harmed our people. This deviated thinking has brought bad name to Pakistan and has nearly left us isolated in the world with no friends. This erratic policy and state of mind has caused great harm to our sovereignty and honor and must stop. We don’t need to conquer other countries or influence them instead focus on improving the lot of our people.

 

The other main threat to our national sovereignty is a weak economy which basically depends on the balance of income and expenditures. Anything that worsens this balance is a culprit affecting our sovereignty and honor. Let’s try to identify the biggest villains here,

 

Tax evasion lowers the national income and is rampant here.. The richer a person the less he pays the taxes. Tax in a modern state is a duty and not an optional philanthropy. The country and its people, particularly its poor need and deserve it. Unscrupulous tax evasion is a very serious crime in the world not very far from other heinous crimes. Our top politicians and businessmen working hard to show their opulence and wealth somehow behave oppositely while paying their dues. Surprisingly some very prominent politicians still get votes from the poor despite all too obvious deviances in fulfilling their national duties by paying taxes. Going through the tax returns of some very prominent politicians and businessmen whose lifestyle would be difficult for Bill Gates to emulate, one finds them extremely poor on papers but practically filthy rich.

 

Corrupt tax collecting practices are rampant causing terrible losses to national exchequer. Many FBR officials themselves discourage people to pay taxes at times punishing them for it. They are more interested in the cut for themselves personally rather than collecting revenue for the state. The lavish life style of tax department officials has been all too apparent for quite some time. This might have been a major factor in bringing down the national tax revenues gradually to the extent where we are now making us the least taxed nation. According to the most estimates people are taxed but this revenue doesn’t reach the national treasury.

 

Our government and its expenditures have simply gotten out of hand. Government jobs have become aplenty and most sought after because of lavish salaries and perks along with opportunities of corruption. For the work a single person does in the private sector ten people are employed in the public sector still unable to complete their assignments. Repeated governments loaded government departments and organizations with their cronies for years making them too over employed and inefficient. These people are extremely pampered but having nothing to do spend most of their time doing negative things as nuisances created fetch benefits in the form of bribes by the hapless people.

 

PIA, Steel Mill, Railways and all government departments and offices have become a drain on the national exchequer. Over Rs 500 billion is spent every year just to keep them afloat. They need to increase their efficiency and big cuts in their payrolls to make them viable. Instead of earning revenues, these have become grave burden on the state and its people needing regular cash infusions and Pakistan has to beg other countries for this cash they squander.

 

The generosity shown by many government officials on state resources showing absolute disregard for discipline is another reason for our financial troubles. Outside of all schools and markets we see flashy government cars and fuel being misused. Expenses incurred on PM and President House, bureaucracy and military has gone beyond all limits. Despite asking for repeated sacrifices from our people the governments never tighten their own belts bringing us to this state of affairs. Unnecessary foreign trips wasting resources is another major source of waste along with many other ways.

 

 

Corruption in the government has touched new heights since successive governments learnt new ways of selling the future generations with impunity. They realized the power of their signatures while negotiating sovereign loans and contracts and used these ruthlessly to enrich themselves. IPPs, rental powers, railways engines to name a few, made many politicians and bureaucrats rich at the expense of our future generations and we are still condemned to pay for their unscrupulous and corrupt practices. Some of the worst offenders are no more but known by very respectable titles like shaheeds.  

 

So we see that any business man who doesn’t pay taxes, contractor that overcharges the govt, officials who misuse electricity or cars paid by the government are actually compromising the national sovereignty and honor of Pakistan not unlike Mir Jaffar and Mir Qasim’s of yesteryears. Their unscrupulous actions have tied the hands of our government giving an opportunity to the American officials with threats to Pakistanis with cutting aid for protests against drone killings. They want us to keep on getting our people killed with a smiling face. Not a very desirable situation.

 

Se we see that financial corruption and irregularities compromises national sovereignty in addition to robbing the poor or haqooqulibad which is unpardonable in Islam. If we are sensitive or serious about our national sovereignty and prestige we must, treat financial crimes not as civil matters but something much more serious like high treason with the punishment these deserve. Many sociologists feel that the mother of Pakistani problems is its moral collapse where illicit gains have stopped carrying a stigma weakening the foundations of all institutions and the society. Financial immorality has become totally acceptable despite the heavy cost it incurs to Pakistan and its people. These severe punishments would be more appropriate and help the moral abyss we have gotten ourselves into. We have several examples in today’s world where self respecting nations give capital punishments to such unscrupulous people.

 

Sovereignty, honor and dignity doesn’t come easy nor can it be begged. We must fulfill our role to bring our society and country in the league of respectable and dignified nations. We have to rid our society and government of inefficiency, wastage of resources and corruption that has brought Pakistan and its people on their knees. Beggars aren’t choosers nor are they considered respectable anywhere in the world. We have to come out of this rut and break the begging bowl. We have to protect the national coffers being brutally looted by those with the responsibility to protect and use it. If we cant, or don’t want to discharge our duties we loose our right to demand respect of all kinds. We will effectively lose not only our right to life but also right to protest against massacres of Pakistanis which would be uttermost height of helplessness.

 

khanmomar@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Dr. Umar Khan

khanmomar@hotmail.com

5-6-13

 

 

Recounting and thumb impression audit for clarification of electoral doubts

 

 

The recently concluded elections are probably the most controversial in the history of Pakistan including the notorious 1977 elections which paved the way for Zia’s martial law. PTI started questioning fairness of these elections and was soon joined by MQM, PPP, JUI, JI and even PML(N) in certain seats. This development has seriously affected the standing of results making all this exercise less credible.  Luckily NADRA came for rescue and offered to arrange a recount in the questionable constituencies along with thumb impression audit for a little expense which appellants can be made to pay. Nawaz Sharif and PML(N) being the biggest winner have the most at stake and if clean as they claim, should have jumped at this opportunity to come out as just winners and expose the bad losers. Election commission can also improve its credibility and integrity through this exercise as some appear to be questioning viciously. Surprisingly none of them is interested in using technology to clear doubts hovering on these election results.

 

I was surprised and flabbergasted as to why winners who are victims of aspersions on these elections aren’t keen to come out clean and expose the culprits or the naggers.

 

If recount of the polls with thumb impression audit is done with the help of new technology either the winners of elections will come out clean or in other case bogus polling will be exposed. These supposed inconsistencies might not have affected the results. Once bogus polling is exposed, then with the help of same NADRA we will be obliged to question the persons whose thumb impressions were repeatedly used for bogus voting. The presiding officers and other polling staff who let this happen will also be needed for questioning. Naturally these officials can’t indulge in such dishonesty without any coercion which might expose their high powered backers. These in turn can ultimately expose  the forces behind this exercise.

 

Elections determine who assumes and exercises power, so naturally many try to influence its outcome. State apparatus in Pakistan didn’t want to lose their grip on power after partition and wasted 24 years before holding the first general elections. Establishment tried to manipulate the results of the first elections held in 1971 but did it very awkwardly failing miserably. Ultimately establishment’s failure to accept the popular verdict in 1971 broke the country into two but the lust to influence election results didn’t diminish.

 

After the sudden death of Gen Zia in 1988, establishment was forced into a situation where its nemesis PPP led by BB appeared to be clearly winning the elections. Establishment considered PPP as a security risk secretly proclaimed stopping the PPP and BB from coming to power a matter of national interest and worked hard to block their path. An unknown businessman from Lahore who was working as CM Punjab, on the insistence of some Generals was picked as BBs challenger and all resources were used to make him a political leader of standing that could challenge the popularity of PPP and BB. All facilities were made available to him including the deep connections of the establishment with the media.  Strange indecent slogans were devised and even inter provincial feelings were aroused and used. PPPs imminent clear majority was blocked.

 

All this might have been unfair but even more negative elements were put into play. New ways of scientific election rigging were devised by the disciplined agencies with the help of bogus voting lists and taught to their protégés in politics. The political class associated with the establishment was led by no other than Nawaz Sharif who turned out to be a good student and learned all these unfair techniques well. Supreme Court judgment in Asghar Khan’s case exposes this unholy nexus very clearly. No wonder in Punjab only the old experienced horses won seats leaving the inexperienced shocked. Even PTI only won the seats of oft criticized new entrant turncoats in Punjab.

 

What this resulted in was that we knew the winners before elections quite accurately in the 90s. I still remember PPPs stalwart Aitzaz Ahsan saying publicly on the stage in 1993 elections that those who ousted Nawaz won’t let him back, so vote for me. The same trend continued in 2002 elections where Musharraf’s supporters were to win, and they did. 2008 elections might have been a bit of aberrancy due to BBs replacement with Zardari but the trend continued.

 

Before the 2013 elections the decisions were apparently made and their implementation was a forgone conclusion. Nawaz was openly meeting the representatives of foreign powers of all types being treated as a dignitary, while all surveys were predicting his return to power. Surveys and their effect on election results at times appear like the chicken and egg scenario, not knowing which came first, do the surveys influence the popularity or otherwise.

 

Local power brokers also show their worth in front of international players by influencing the election results or may I say ensuring victories for the desirable and defeat for the undesirable.

 

A quick look at the election results and much is cleared. The COD and its backers must be delighted as it was followed religiously with centre changing hands while Punjab staying with PML(N) and Sind with PPP. New spoilers like PTI are effectively marginalized.

 

So we see that there appears to be a list of well entrenched forces interested in keeping the current election mechanism where they can influence the outcome. Unfortunately in this setup factors other than the voters have final say in the outcome of elections.

 

Lack of trust on the electoral process caused by questionable elections breeds apathy among the electorate with a feeling of helplessness that nothing can change. The recent elections were different because electorate got really charged up which has now converted to a feeling of resignation with a hidden rage boiling down the surface waiting to rip open. We must not let it happen. A disinterested public in a country facing massive problems like Pakistan is not a good omen; let’s not hurt their belief in democracy and rule of law.

 

Unfortunately due to all these discrepancies and allegations our elections have attained the credibility not far from Iraqi or Afghan elections. We certainly deserve better. After all we are not occupied.

 

Democracy should be felt and seen too. Ideally there should be a recount with thumb verification of all the doubtful seats to clear all qualms. However if all this isn’t possible then maybe electronic voting in future is the answer. If third world countries like India and Philippines can use it so effectively so can we. We can start by having electronic voting in bye elections scheduled in the near future. After all we have ATMs in every nook and corner distributing BISP payments to the poorest making us well placed to convert to electronic voting.  This way we can effectively get rid of paper votes, boxes and the enormous staff which creates confusion and doubt. Democracy is important for Pakistan and we must strengthen it by all means possible and removal of doubts is one of them. Pakistanis have shown their trust in democracy and it must be valued and not allowed to ruin. People disenchanted with democracy can end up with worse options.

 

 

khanmomar@hotmail.com

 

 

Political awareness in Pakistan and PTI

Dr. Omar Khan, khanmomar@hotmail.com

25-4-13

 

Political awareness; and PTI

Out of many harmful legacies of 11 years long Zia era non party elections of 1985 were probably the most damaging. His declared motive was to help pious people get elected but actually he wanted to break the power of politicians, political parties and political institutions. This created a political class which wasn’t associated with any party or had any political stand on economy, foreign policy or anything and focused on small matters Zia and his coterie weren’t interested in. Local problems like streets and sewer along with divisive factors like Baraderie and sect gained in importance. Moneyed people and businessmen jumped in the empty playing field and invested heavily bribing voters who understood the futility of these elections and decided to grab whatever was offered. To make a workable govt of these nonpolitical politicians  Zia opened the national coffers to oblige, rather buy these elected representatives and open horse trading and auctions of elected reps became an acceptable norm. Corruption was successfully installed and elected reps after investing heavily in elections expected returns and returns they got making them pliable to the Generals while discrediting politics. Zia had achieved his goal,

 

It wasn’t always this bad in Pakistan rather Pakistan had a dream start with elections. It took 24 years to hold the first general elections and the results were amazing. Despite repeated derogatory allegations of lack of awareness, Pakistani voters elected the most liberal and progressive parties totally rejecting the extremists and backward looking political parties despite enormous help from the military dominated govt. The 1970 general elections were the only ones in which tribal/baraderi considerations were practically finished. These were the only elections in which young, educated middle class people not belonging to any dominant clan got elected. These results were shocking to the power hungry generals who refused to accept the people’s verdict and broke the country into two. Those times look so far and Zia effectively back rolled this progress.

 

All these tumultuous events on our political horizon maligned the word politics very badly. Honest, hardworking and educated Pakistanis considered politics a dirty profession/pastime which dignified people stayed away from. Unfortunately it doesn’t matter how much anyone avoids politics because it follows everyone affecting all aspect of life. Political parties had specific faces to offer with lack of education and scruples too evident. Grace and dignity was near nonexistent among the political class and in Pakistani parlance politics assumed the meaning of treachery while politician became synonymous of slick. Nonpolitical claimants of power helped in this transition for their own motives. Ultimately politics, the most important aspect of a nation state became absolutely devoid of talented and capable people with values and ethics. Naturally this put Pakistan on a retrogressive course with all the undesirable image possible in the world.

 

In this scenario when Imran Khan jumped into politics he became a target of ridicule for the veterans because he wanted to change the established rules. Resignation, passivity and fatalism were dominant in our society and conventional wisdom dictated that nothing will change here and everything will stay the same. In the 1997 elections most of the political workers belonged to a very certain personality type with certain vocabulary and demeanor. One look of a discerning eye explained what most political workers were looking for and more often that not it was monetary benefit. In addition to greed, strange favors were also expected like help in police cases or approach to influential quarters. If a certain candidate admitted his inability to provide these favors he was ridiculed for his naïveté. This was the political scene of Pakistan laboriously created to ensure crooks entry to assemblies who would be pliable enough. No wonder our assemblies were full of people of very dubious past.

 

All this looks so far away now as everything has changed. The middle classes and the highly educated now form the backbone of political workers class. They have certainly added a more than certain amount of dignity in politics. Average age has also gone down substantially and young, energetic and idealistic workers are seen working tirelessly. Youth, apart from other benefits still harbors some ideals, this society kills so effectively upon facing the reality at later age. These workers are hardly demanding and thanklessly donating themselves or raising money through their own resources.

 

Educated middle classes now make a substantial part of political rallies actively participating in canvassing.

 

The biggest surprise development has been the participation of women in Pakistani politics. Now we see highly educated women of all ages and classes, fully aware politically, attending rallies and actively participating in the political process. The 50% Pakistanis sidelined for too long are enjoying their rights and fulfilling their duties.

 

Whole of South Asia along with Pakistan are suffering from dynastic politics and certain families are considered privileged or loyal classes. PPP, the biggest political party of Pakistan’s leadership transferred on a deceased leader’s will to an underage child making the party look like a personal property. By holding true intraparty elections Imran Khan and PTI has effectively controlled if not outright finished nepotism and dynastic politics. The ticket refusal to cousin and brother in law confirmed the dawn of new era. Other parties who were comfortable with the old dynastic politics are getting pressurized by their workers and would have to hold fair intraparty elections whether they like it or not.

 

After going through turbulent decades and seeing no hope with the system that put them in these problems the educated classes have decided to take their future in their own hands. A crop of pseudo intellectuals had been preaching wait for a messiah to solve their problems but this policy has finally become obsolete. Talented Pakistanis of an earlier generation used to dream about migrating to another country as an escape but that option has become nearly outdated.  They have finally realized it is their life, their country and their future that is at stake and they can’t afford to leave it to politicians of questionable talent, class and scruples. Too much is at stake to avoid it.

 

This is finally putting the mother of all institutions, the political class and politics, in right hands. At last the ill effects of dark Zia era are subsiding. Politics has shed its stigma and is no more a socially unacceptable field. We see educated, successful and polished people in our political horizon. Pakistani women and youth are the most active and enlightened in the Islamic world. Pakistan is getting in right hands heading in the right direction. We have all the reasons to be optimistic about its future.

 

Is Pakistan a developing country?

Enjoying the breathtaking views of the Northern Areas of Pakistan I was able to forget, rather overlook the collection of problems awaiting me back home. I am sharing these problems with 160 million of my fellow Pakistanis and this collected suffering has strengthened my emotional bond with them somewhat like the victims of great tragedies. Coming back to the topic, I was driving on the KKH with my family enjoying the exotic spectacular views thanking the Good Lord for blessing me with such fabulous assets wondering why privileged Pakistanis spend fortunes in Europe and other countries while being totally unaware of the marvelous vacations Pakistan offers. The air was clean; wind was cool and the road, well; acceptable. In these far off places the health standard was excellent and the pink cheeks of the residents were a proof of that. Education standards were probably better than even Punjab and illiteracy was practically unknown in the younger generation. Law and order situation was excellent and some friends boasted that there hadn’t been a murder or serious violent crime in a hundred years and what more electricity was cheap. All this made me ecstatic and I smiled obstinately after a long time while enjoying the stunning view of the cathedral peak in Passu, Upper Hunza convinced that if there actually was a Shangri-La, it was here.

Next day we tried to socialize with these wonderful people and discovered some interesting facts. Government of Japan funded the school, the Danish government financed the hydroelectric power plant, the local health center by another foreign donor and the road was financed and built by the Chinese. Something absolutely invisible in the development and progress of the area was the government of Pakistan. We didn’t even give them the right to vote, whatever it means in our peculiar setup. This is how we treat our brethren who fought for independence against the Dogras joining Pakistan. Not a very good message for the independence seeking Kashmiris of the other side.

The story doesn’t end here as it has more interesting turns. After building the hydroelectric project, the Danes handed it over to some government agency to maintain it and the things started going wrong. Now there are power breakdowns exceeding down under. After building the road (KKH) the Chinese handed over partial maintenance to our government and the things started deteriorating. Anyone who traveled the road in 1980 can certainly testify that the road was much better then and now it is a set of potholes from which you have to find the road, a bit like the GT road of the late Zia era. My first exploration of this road on a motorcycle in 1980 was on a much smoother road. The moment you cross over to the Chinese side you find a wonderful shinning new road of international standards but the decay on the Pakistani side was obvious. Fortunately the education and health facilities survived in a relatively better condition but then again due to foreign NGOs enticed by Agha Khan foundation and the exotic culture of this area.

Regression everywhere is all too evident all over Pakistan. This might be the only privilege we handed over evenly to all parts of the country. Any thing or service that came close to any government agency just collapsed leaving a trail of suffering and debt to be paid by the original victims. In 1947 we inherited a reliable Railways network that worked which is now cracking and leaking from all places and has become a huge drain on the national exchequer. In 1947 we were the most educated after the Europeans and the Americans and now our whole educational system is crumbling. We have been lying to ourselves ignoring this most important prerequisite of any improvement. Our performance of health sector can be clearly illustrated by the Mayo Hospital example. The exploiter colonial government made this hospital more than a century ago for Lahore with a population of 1 lakh, which has now swelled to 8 million. This would clearly require another 80 hospitals of this size and we failed miserably. Interestingly out of the new government hospitals in Lahore Sheikh Zayed hospital was built by UAE and Jinnah Hospital by the Chinese. The GOP couldn’t maintain the public welfare delivered by the colonial government.

Leaving the physical aspects apart our performance in democracy and other nation building endeavors has been equally pathetic. After earning the country democratically we criminalized the word politics repeatedly packing the elected civilian governments. Arguably the constituent assembly of 47 was more independent than the current one. Constitution and courts were also stronger and more respected. Law and order problem was unheard of like the ethnic and communal violence. Our record of maintenance of sovereignty is even worse as foreign forces routinely bomb and kill Pakistanis and play pivotal role in the internal politics. Not a very impressive progress report.

This regression comes in stark contrast to what we hear about the other progressing countries. People visiting China, India or Malaysia after an year or two testify that it can be difficult to recognize the place because the speed of development is enormous and it can be hard to keep track. Naturally I am talking about the positive developments and not the kind we just enumerated. This is how the nations progress and not the way we are proceeding.

Despite strong evidence to the contrary this unfortunate nation is fed on a regular diet of some intangible and unverifiable achievements like making of different bombs and missiles. Our Foreign Ministers confession of helplessness regarding securing our sovereignty in the face of foreign bombings is a clear proof of exaggeration of our claims. History tells us that whenever these claims were put to test in 65, or 71 or Siachen or Kargill, they proved to be bordering on lies. Pakistan has a very dubious distinction of being the only country in the world with regularly shrinking borders.

All this very clearly explains the current situation in Pakistan. We are losing our brightest people regularly to other countries and also the most valuable capital, which always shies away from the insecure and unpredictable places. This uncertainty is translating into depression causing most of the young to yearn to leave the country for a better future. Nothing can be more unfortunate for a country aspiring to grow than having a dissatisfied populace not associating their hopes or future with it.

Munhasir marney pey ho jis ki umeed
Naumeedi us ki dekha chaahiye

We also have this inopportune distinction further tarnishing our hopes for the future.

Reality has to be faced which tells us that as a nation we are not progressing rather regressing. With this speed of regression we might be heading towards disaster in not very far future, which we must prevent. Those destined to live and die here cannot afford the luxury of inaction and must take the matters in their own hands closing the doors for self proclaimed deliverers who brought us to this stage. The civil society must rise to protect itself, its rights and the country denying the foreign supported autocrats opportunities to takeover the country again. The recent mobilization of the civil society in the judge’s movement is certainly a visible ray of hope but it must be further built upon. The civil society must protect the country from its rulers and the best way of doing it is by establishing the rule of law. Governments and its officers must be assessed and rewarded by progress reports with third party evaluations like anywhere else in the world. The immunity of the government and its officials from law or other constraints must be withdrawn. In short the government and the government servants must be made subservient to the people they are supposed to serve.

The newly developed nations have defied the old Chinese proverb that progress has little to do with speed but much to do with direction and advanced at tremendous pace. We must correct our direction and start moving forward. If we still cannot mange to stop our regressive tendencies we might re classify ourselves from a developing country to a regressing country. This accurate classification might be painful but honest.


In the end let me confess that in the heat of the argument I unintentionally ignored observations showing the overwhelming presence of government of Pakistan and its different agencies. Everywhere we went burning diesel in our 26 years old car at the rate of Rs. 55/litre we encountered lines of fancy government jeeps, colored and green, serving the government officials and their families arranging lavish picnics whose costs will never be calculated.

Dr. Umar Khan

khanmomar@hotmail.com

Dr. Khan works for a Lahore based Think Tank.

24-9-12

 

 

Politics of Compromise

 

People of same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. Adam Smith (Does this hold true for capitalists only?)

 

President Asif Ali Zardari has been practicing politics of compromise with big fanfare. This compromise includes nearly everyone in the assemblies including those once accused of murdering BB. Governance of compromise might be an appropriate term to describe this ingenious political setup because those outside of the assemblies aren’t included. Everyone was offered a share in government and those who were reluctant were ably coerced into it with a bit of arm-twisting.

 

For the last 4.5 years every political party in the elected assemblies is in government at different level and the elected assemblies only comprise of allies. This kind of politics has effectively taken out the opposition from the political scene. In the centre PPP is in the government along with MQM, ANP, FATA PML(Q) and others. Same with KPK and Sind. Punjab also had such setup of PPP, PML N&Q but later PPP ministers were withdrawn. Maulana Fazal is always in the govt, even when he is officially leader of the opposition. Balochistan assembly traditionally consists of treasury benches alone and now the rest of the country is following it. In this strange setup everyone is in the government and opposition is non existent.

 

This has resulted in a bizarre political setup where there is no genuine opposition. Lately some politicians have been working hard to give an impression of opposition, while enjoying the perks only governments in Pakistan can give, but the Pakistani nation isn’t showing the gullibility of believing them.

 

Opposition is an integral part of parliamentary democracy which cannot function effectively without it. It is necessary and indispensable. The opposition keeps a check on the government finding weaknesses in its policies and performance while offering a credible alternative. Moreover, by overseeing and criticizing the action of the government, it works to ensure transparency, integrity and efficiency in the conduct

of public affairs and to prevent abuses by the authorities and individuals, thereby ensuring the defense of the public interest. Government institutions like NAB or judiciary can never keep the governments in line as oppositions do. It is the fear of the bright and active politicians in opposition which has been proven as the most useful check on government’s performance. As someone said aptly, “Conscience is basically the fear of being found out” and so it protects from untoward behavior. Freedom of this fear can encourage people to indulge in all kind of improper behaviors this poor nation can ill afford. Opposition less democracy gives the people the roughest of deals, somewhat like capitalism without competition, making the common man the ultimate loser.

 

The effects of this strange political setup without opposition in the assemblies are too obvious. Some of the simpler but not less cunning politicians, openly declared on the media that equal opportunities should be provided for corruption and now it is their right to indulge in it. Surprisingly these elected officials weren’t penalized by their parties or even the media and shamelessly continue to be part of government although deserve to be in a correction house or a psychiatrist’s couch. All encompassing governments are functioning for the last 4.5 years and juicy government departments and corporations have been doled out generously. Railways, PIA, Steel Mill and KPT, to name a few are in the hands of different allies of compromise. Not going into the innumerable stories of corruption and limiting to tangible and verifiable results, we can say with certainty all of them have been wrecked costing hundreds of billions to the national exchequer, or may I say the common man on the street working hard to feed his family. Railways that were working well for over a hundred years is nearly finished losing all its credibility and service denying the middle classes of inexpensive travel option. PIA is practically bankrupt as is Steel Mill risking hundreds of thousands of jobs. Many of them are surviving on artificial life support of government infusions of funds which can’t last long.  Economy is in shambles and job creation non existent. Inflation is rampant and electricity expensive but unavailable. Law and order situation a mess. Not a flattering picture of democracy. 

 

Interestingly the collapse of each state institution brings a few more smiles on the faces of allies in the government. Strangely these economic disasters instead of causing cracks in the “Compromised” coalition somehow strengthen it even more. No one has ever been held accountable for the poor performance of these state institutions jeopardizing the national economy and innumerable jobs. To date the coalition is going strong apparently at the cost of the state. 

 

This kind of political compromise has it roots in the charter of democracy signed between the late BB and Nawaz during the dark days of military rule. After the COD was signed in May 06, within months BB and Musharraf reached understanding on transfer of power under the close watch of Condy Rice and the Americans. Immediately after Jan 07, BB, who was being treated as a con woman for over a decade by Americans, started getting treatment of a stateswomen and celebrity. Ms. Rice exposes it clearly in her book that PPPs government was decided in Washington and further steps were to be taken to ensure the predetermined façade of democracy in Pakistan. A strange democracy where the results are preordained in a foreign country.

 

The said COD also talks about education, economy, unemployment and condition of the poor, but they have been conveniently ignored.

 

While signing of COD it was decided that PPP govt will rule Pakistan for 5 years and after that it would be Nawaz’s turn and the two won’t undermine each other’s govts. No wonder Nawaz openly declared that he would support PPP govt even if its own people deserted them. Distribution of provincial govts among these two parties also appeared to be there with Punjab reserved for PML(N) and Sind for PPP. BB’s unexpected sad demise changed the understanding nominally and Zardari replaced BB effectively. This understanding and setup worked smoothly for first couple of years with just a few hiccups.

 

 Lacunas don’t exist in nature and whenever they are made artificially they don’t last long and forces appear from nowhere fulfilling them. Rise of PTI and judiciary effectively   taking the role of opposition are direct results of this.

 

Reasons given for this politics of compromise without opposition are certainly noble. There is a feeling that we have had 4 bouts of martial laws in Pakistan with devastating effects damaging our society and its basic fabric, basically because the oppositions of those times invited the military. Although this argument might have some substance if considered as making conditions suitable for military takeovers, it has some serious flaws. This argument makes COAS looks like a feeble post very reluctant but obedient and subservient to the politicians, opposition only. Nothing can be farther from truth. If they are so obedient to the politicians they should be showing the same when asked to leave. It is a strange but very selective and opportunist obedience. It appears that the unscrupulous generals of those times had been planting people to invite them and they always tried to look reluctant.

 

What actually causes martial laws is not invitation of the opposition politicians but opportunity presented to the devious generals. Economic conditions and dissatisfaction of the common man with democracy is the biggest factor making military interventions possible. Conditions deteriorate when common man shows dislike for democracy and starts longing for generals. Maligning of the politicians, pliable judiciary and foreign support are the other major factors. No wonder the buccaneering generals are delighted with the current situation showing everyone that our people are unfit to rule themselves needing a big brother looking down their necks.

 

The government has harmed the cause of democracy with its politics of compromise a lot but it is still surviving due to 2 unexpected allies, the Americans, having shown their dislike for military govt in Pakistan and the judiciary, outright rejecting possibility of legalizing any unconstitutional step. Judiciary appearing to be going against the govt is its biggest ally and savior although democracy has taken a real drubbing in the public opinion.

 

Democracy, like love, can survive almost any attack, except neglect and indifference. Our people must show their concern and give clear message to those in power that they can’t be taken for granted using names of dead people or underage children, any more. Gimmicks and demagoguery won’t work anymore.  They have grown and aren’t gullible any longer getting bribed by small goodies bought from their own money.

 

The PPP government might be well advised to broaden its compromising politics and compromise with the judiciary instead of taking it head-on. Focusing on the people instead of the greedy allies is the only way Zardari’s govt can fare better in the next elections not far away. Otherwise they are destined to get what govts with history of bad management deserve and get in elections, if somehow saved from military takeover.

 

Diverting the energy and resources towards the people instead of allies can be a much needed service to democracy and not coalitions created by compromises on principles.

 

khanmomar@hotmail.com

The New Pakistani Politics

Dr. Umar Khan

khanmomar@hotmail.com

Dr. Khan belongs to a Lahore based Think Tank.

6-8-12

 

 

The New Pakistani Politics

Khawaja Asif of PML (N), in the company of stalwarts Mushahidullah Khan and Pervez Rasheed, came on prime time TV and launched a barrage of very serious allegations on Imran Khan and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. As expected this well planned attack was followed by another onslaught by Ch Nisar of PML, again on the prime time. These allegations were refuted by Imran personally and also SKMTH and counter allegations were made on PML (N). There are rumors that the next round is about to start and its going to be even uglier and more vicious. It has become a routine for dubious people coming on TV making serious allegations on people of stature, including CJ, and getting attention while diverting the focus from their performance. Welcome to the politics Pakistani style which has made politics the biggest entertainment for the nation, more popular past time than TV dramas, sports or movies.

Before analyzing the content and effects of the allegations lets have a look at the people making them. Khawaja Asif has a history of working in a financial institution and is expected to understand its intricacies. Unfortunately it doesn’t end here; the financial institution he worked for was very notorious known for its dubious practices and was finally closed down after being convicted of facilitating drug trade. Stretching it further we find that he got this lucrative job on recommendation of our most notorious dictator trying to please his crony who happened to be Kh Asif’s ----- I’ll end it here. Fortunately despite a dubious past Khawaja sahib appears to be one of the cleanest politicians in PML (N) as there aren’t credible allegations against him.

This was certainly a vicious attack comprising of the following,

1. Shady investments of donated money with losses.
2. Zakat invested for “interest”, a religious allegation.
3. Money from Pakistan taken out and invested abroad.
4. A simple guarantee sought instead of a bank guarantee.
5. A board member given the investment creating conflict of interest.

A banker knows that all this was well within the norms of business but rhetorical words like “satta” and “sood” were used ruthlessly and an impression was created which temporarily made me suspicious too, but for a very short time. This was an excellent exercise of dysphemism. These allegations cant stand in any court of law or electorate and should follow their natural course so don’t need any commenting. Coming from the side with hundreds of millions of dollars invested abroad and history of PM doling out subsidies with his family being the biggest stake holder appears ridiculous. Or maybe it was a confession that we are guilty but others aren’t clean either; interesting politics.

It is not hard to imagine what PML (N) wanted to achieve by this exercise. They wanted to halt the slide of their popularity and improve their image in public. For this they needed to stop Imran attacking them. It shows the extreme nervousness and jitteriness in their camp. There is a certain gloom of impending disaster which is very obvious on their faces. PML (N) was certainly the most popular party in March 2009 when Nawaz Sharif led the march in support of judiciary but since then it has been a downward trend. His support for democracy by supporting the PPP government has been construed as support for Zardari government and now he has to put tremendous efforts to negate it. His statement “we will support the PPP government even if their own MNAs desert them” is clinging to him like Bhutto’s “Wahan tum, yahan hum”. Forming and running of a coalition government for years makes it even hard to defend despite resignations of federal ministries. When rug below the feet is suddenly pulled such reactions are not uncommon. It might also be a rude reminder of need to unite the rightist against PPP.

Whatever were the intentions the affects of this tirade are clear; Zardari is the apparent winner. Despite 4.5 years of misrule he is not being scrutinized instead people who have never had power are. The words “corruption” and “immorality” are being ridiculed and desensitized; hopefully unintentionally. No wonder there is a hidden sarcastic smile on the faces of PPP leaders who were extremely depressed earlier. PML has effectively distracted the nation from PPPs misrule, something Zardari was trying to hard to achieve, no wonder some might call it a joint effort. This episode has an even more important side effect; it has once again exposed the scruples of PML (N) and its leadership. Pakistani political scene had never seen an uglier political campaign than the campaigns of 1988 and 1990 in which with the help of ISI and its money, PPP and BB were ridiculed shamelessly and even the anatomy of BB being a women was not spared. Interestingly all this was done under the banner of “sharafat ki siasat” and it worked. It is strange how unworkable things work in Pakistan with the support of agencies.  The people had forgotten this old story, but now ably reminded they are expecting a few more Sitas or Terrians. I wonder how long would “Sharafat ki siasat” survive without the outright state support.

The intended losers appear to be Imran Khan and PTI with SKMTH the collateral damage, might survive this attack if not outright benefit from it if able to refute effectively. In this case PML (N) might become the real collateral damage along with the reputation of its leadership. The political class which is already heavily maligned in Pakistan might get even more maligned, something beneficial to other claimants of power who have been arguing for decades that civilians are not fit to rule. No matter how bad the situation you can always lose your nerve and worsen it, that’s exactly what PML (N) apparently did here.

The political attack on PML (N) is severe and their response absolutely necessary and expected but not of this kind. They should have dwelled on their achievements and performance of decades in power. Unfortunately they couldn’t do this because their performance wasn’t good enough. Hospitals and schools are responsibility of the governments, PML has controlled for long without desired results. It is the inability or failure of the government that makes room for welfare organizations in the private sector to do this duty with the help of Zakat. The govts inability and corruption forces respectable people seek treatment on zakat which can be an emotionally devastating experience for many. Except Shehbaz’s shown ability to get the desired results despite a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy there is nothing much to show. Slogans of nuclear explosions or doling out anything from the national exchequer have ultimately lost their luster. Still they might use propaganda and communication techniques to package their performance in a presentable way and get better results.

Khawaja Asif, one of the most admirable people in party, didn’t look very comfortable making these allegations nor during following them up on the talk shows. Knowing the working of Pakistani politics this was the duty given to him and he had no right to refuse or even give an argument against it. This is how our political parties work. PML with a name of a person (Nawaz) attached to it doesn’t give a right to object to its cadres. Pakistani political parties are like personal properties which have shown their ability to be transferred on the basis of will until coming of age of the children. These are routinely inherited by the family members as any other ordinary property making a joke of the claims of political party. Kh Asif is in a difficult situation here, no matter how and what he does, he is destined to remain junior to anyone with the name Sharif in the end. He has to please and obey the whole extended Sharif family with the power to extradite him from politics and decades of service. The only comfort he enjoys is that being a Kashmiri he can expect a slightly better understanding than non Kashmiris in the party as Nawaz family is Kashmiri too. In this case there are not many options available to him between a national level leader and an ineffectual angel, and Kh Asif made the pragmatic choice.

The difference between PML (N) and PTI over here is all too obvious. Dr Faisal Sultan, an employee of SKMTH, while defending the hospital, publicly referred Imran Khan as “Imran” on TV without any sahib or other prefix of respect, something unimaginable in inheritable political parties. I still remember Kh Asif speechless on a TV show during Musharraf era when asked if he would quit PML in case it joins a military dictator. He just couldn’t afford to say what he wanted to, as it could annoy people and ruin his political future. This also shows the scare of our established politicians whose monarchies are at stake here. High stakes do attract severe responses and that’s exactly what’s happening here.

Now that the allegations are made they should be explored and explained. If discrepancies are found, responsible people should be held accountable irrespective of their stature. IK should let the professionals (accountants, managers, lawyers) do their job and stay away from it. In case allegations are found malafide, the culprits should be made accountable in the court of law. Court of people will do their justice in the next elections. Nothing more or less is required, let the law prevail.

“Yahan pagri Uchalti hai,The  ise maikhana kehte hain”

Maybe we should not let the two mingle so that neat and clean people should also be able to participate.