A simmering fire
Compromise, not confrontation, is the basic principle of democracy. Having struggled for a decade or so out in the cold, the comforts and trappings of office seem to have overcome democratic sensitivities normally attributable to all politicians. Karachi is a smoldering city, a tinderbox about to catch fire, the sparks already visible. One expected our politicians would avoid the extreme positions of the lunatic fringe elements in their parties, on the contrary they seem to be adopting their mad mandate whole hog. While one respects the constitutional position taken by the President, given the overall situation one expected a more activist role from him.
The PPP had a sweeping majority in Sindh in the last elections, it seemed Sindhi extremism was dealt a severe blow. Only later it is now apparent that Sindhi nationalists had infiltrated the PPP to a great extent and as such PPP itself is beset from within by an extremist faction. While the hard-core of PPP remains a moderate force, circumstances and extremist elements in Sindh have pushed PPP in a direction which must not be palatable to the PM, her hands already full with various national problems at the Centre, not the least being the sluggish economy and an over-active opposition. To add fuel to the fire, the Kashmir situation has become alive, one fraught with danger if mishandled.
The MQM got a sweeping majority in the two major urban areas of Sindh, Karachi and Hyderabad. As an excellent pragmatic arrangement they decided to go with the majority party, the PPP. At the Federal level it ensured that Ms Benazir would form the Government, in consequence the MQM expected that the basic premise of democracy in urban areas, metropolitan rule, would not be denied to them. There are now two sets of warring forces in Sindh, in Karachi and Hyderabad PPP and MQM are the opposing factions, in the interior it is the Sindhi nationalists versus the settlers, Mohajir, Punjabi and Pathan. The tragedy being enacted before our eyes in Karachi and Hyderabad, particularly Karachi is that much more media exposed — and thus that much more real. Unfortunately for democracy in Pakistan, one of the warring factions in Karachi seems to be the Sindh Government itself. Having a substantial portion of the electorate in the interior of Sindh behind their confrontation with the MQM, the Sindh Government is posturing to adopt the politically more dangerous tough route, taking no cognisance of the external dangers being faced by the Federal Government.
No good for democracy will come out of this confrontation. On the contrary, it is quite clear that the MQM, its leader already undergoing fast unto death, is not likely to succumb to pressure from any quarter, to do so without some political concessions would be a political deathknell to the aspirations of the MQM following. One has reservations about the use of such a method, given the external situation Altaf Hussain seems to be holding the whole country to hostage. With our Armed Forces gearing up for eventual war thrust on us by India, a higher patriotism demanded possible greater pragmatism. On the other hand, the PPP has mostly an image and/or ego problem, with the overall majority it commands in Sindh, the PPP could conceivably break the deadlock arising at this time, though giving in to demands made by this method, may set troublesome precedents for the future. While the onus of solving the issues in a democratic manner lies with the PPP, the MQM should not act as an obdurate entity, blind to the realities existing around them, they live within the Sindh Province, as much as they have full right for a positive resolution of their metropolitan aspirations they must remember that democratic rule enjoins that the aspirations of the majority cannot be excluded to fulfil all the desires of the minority, in democracy there must be give and take. We are thus back at compromise, the root of all democratic principles, the utter violation of which has brought us to this sorry impasse.
Karachi is the economic life-line of Pakistan, without economic activity Karachi’s situation will affect the rest of Pakistan. Beset by numerous economic problems, too few jobs for too many people, needing a bad law and order situation as much as we need two left feet, some industries have up-stuck and gone up-country to Punjab and Sarhad Province, thus creating greater job scarcity. This economic downturn has created an anarchical cycle that is likely to bring Karachi — and Pakistan — to the throes of economic apocalypse. As the rest of Asia heads pell mell into economic emancipation, Pakistan seems to be heading in the opposite direction. This is tragic many times over for our aspirant masses who had put so much hope into democracy for their economic emancipation, stray voices are even now heard asking for the return of Martial Law.
Has democracy failed in Pakistan? Or is something wrong with the democratic system in vogue in Pakistan? Democracy has neither failed Pakistan and nor is there anything drastically wrong with democratic system in Pakistan, we are being let down by a gross violation of democratic principles and tinkering of the situation to suit vested interests, albeit to an extent due to extenuating circumstances beyond the control of our politicians and the political void created by a decade of autocratic rule. Ms Benazir has had to look constantly over her shoulder, both at the combined opposition that has not let her have any breathing time and also at her own extremist elements within Sindh who have been virtually blackmailing the representative government in Sindh (both from within and outside the government) into an obdurate position vis-a-vis the MQM. Unfortunately for this country, instead of the political route, Ms Benazir opted for the administrative one, replacing the Chief Minister Sindh, the urbane Mr Qaim Ali Shah, with the even more urbane Mr Aftab Shahban Merani. Both are recognized gentlemen out of place in the rough and tumble world of today’s Sindh politics. Ms Benazir relies heavily on the Makhdoom family for support at the Federal level and in the Province, it is only right that in Sindh one of the Makhdooms, preferably Amin Fahim, should become Sindh’s Chief Minister, and/or if the Makhdooms are reluctant to take on the post for some reason then Jam Sadiq Ali, who enjoys their support, should be brought in from the cold. Jam Sadiq Ali is a consummate politician, suited to the prevailing times. The MQM are a pragmatic lot, they know that the aforementioned may be tough customers but they would also have the strength to implement and abide by any promises made.
The MQM leader’s fast unto death is a most unfortunate political decision. This boxes MQM into a position of great tribulation, in the best of circumstances this supreme gamble could have been avoided. If the MQM activists held for murder are really guilty, the law of the land must take its course whatever the consequences, one expects that the government shall be even-handed about applying the law of the land to those who have been killing MQM supporters. Kalashnikov-wielding PSF students openly keeping a vigil over the late Najib in the Aga Khan Hospital was not a conducive sight for fair handed implementation of democracy’s norms.
Despite the appointment of an excellent Inspector General of Police, the Sindh Police has been badly compromised with respect to fairplay. As it is, Agha Saadat will have his hands full reorganising his force, depleted in numbers and equipment, badly lacking in motivation and morale. The Sindh Force created by the Federal Government should be directly under the operational control of the Chief Minister, let the Sindh Force Commander be a Lieutenant General with two Major Generals taking over the Metropolitan Police in Karachi and Hyderabad. The Army, seen to be a neutral force, is more or less camped in the disturbed areas of these two cities for the last two years and must be withdrawn. Let a small task force set about (1) restoring law and order using their full police powers (2) re-organising the metropolitan police force, bringing it upto required manpower strength and equipment level (3) carrying out search for all arms, licensed or not, to be deposited with the Sindh Force without exception, private security companies included. The rule of law must be restored to Karachi, functioning under the cover of democracy. The point to make is that if democracy fails to utilise its full potential then howsoever much you may decry Martial Law, extra-constitutional rule will not be far away. Democracy has taken roots after a great struggle, Ms Benazir epitomizes that campaign of restoration, with all the strength and will available to us we must work to create conditions that will ward off this eventuality. In the present external situation with the Indian Strike Force camped within 80 kms of our border between Jaisalmer and Suchetgarh, this internecine quarrel is demeaning to the concept of nationhood.
When all is said and done, with all the good faith and intention that one can muster, will it be right to sit back and see our beloved city consumed by the flames of hatred, the horror of death and destruction, the ravages of civil war conditions? John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State during the Eisenhower Administration had said, “Of all the tasks before Government the most basic is to protect its citizens against violence”. If our children cannot go to schools and colleges, if our freedom of movement is consigned to shelters and we are faced with scarcity of all of life-surviving perquisites, when life becomes threatened by criminals, some of whom may even be functioning in the name of justice, then one becomes to doubt the type of democracy that we have adopted. When you add the fact that this democracy does not seem to take into consideration the external dangers we are faced with, that in furtherance of their own domestic quarrel our politicians seem to accept that we may lose our freedom to an unrelenting enemy, be bonded as slaves held in tutelage by centuries-old antagonism, then the price of this type of democracy becomes too high.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment