Anything Goes!
Two events of far-reaching consequences took place this week, one concerning Pakistan directly and one not so directly. Mian Nawaz Sharif and his entire family (Abbaji included) went off into political exile and Vice President Al-Gore finally conceded the US Presidential elections to the Republican candidate Gov George Bush. Gore was extremely gracious in his concession speech, seeking to unite the country under the new US President-elect. Undercurrents of bitterness notwithstanding, the possible rot within the US democratic polity was brought to a dead halt. To quote Gore, “that which unites us as Americans is far greater than that which divides us” unquote. We were not so lucky, ours is not a win-win situation as the administration media spin-masters would have us believe. The military regime has bought time, it may have been at a price whose instalments the nation may not be able to pay.
Why on earth did the military regime, steeped in an aura of accountability, let the Sharif family out of their hands when they had clear proof of corruption? Why this sudden benevolence for committed opponents? Theories abound starting with the Chief Executive (CE)’s statement that the pardon has been extended at the request of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Other reasons could well be, viz (1) financial pressure from friendly countries in withholding the funds necessary to stave off impending default in Jan 2001 (2) the threat to the military regime by the formation of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) (3) ill-health of Mian Nawaz Sharif and his father, the possible demise of the former in custody could have sparked off an unmanageable crisis (4) by accepting a pardon the Sharifs tacitly accepted their guilt and (5) by having leaders of both major political parties (and one not so minor) in exile, a clearing of the decks by the military regime to bring back politics in a graduated manner, by either restoring the Assemblies and/or making a national government, etc, etc. It could well be simply what the CE said and/or any combination thereof or all of the above. Needless to say, the Godfather i.e. Abbaji, without whose sanction the Sharifs will probably not go to the toilet, “RAIWIND, WE HAVE A PROBLEM”, The NATION October 10, 1998, must have decided to cut his losses and evacuate from Pakistan, very much like the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) evacuating Dunkirk early in World War 2, allowing Britain to keep on fighting. He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. Late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto must have had similar offers but he stuck to his guns and went to the gallows, very brave and very stupid. Of course it is a moot point whether Ziaul Haq, knowing Bhutto’s vindictive nature, would have ever let him go. Writing about Abbaji ‘THE GODFATHER” The NATION on August 26, 2000, I noted, “The Army would be well advised to make the Godfather an offer he cannot refuse”. Obviously someone in Musharraf’s think tank took this advice seriously and Abbaji on his part must have decided discretion was the better part of valour.
