Nawaz Sharif’s Departure – The “Death” Word…..!*
By Syed Haider Raza Mehdi ( this article was published on 11th November)
While the Nation awaits whether Nawaz will fly out on Monday or not, or will the Mulla blink, a much bigger tragedy may unfold.
The tragedy is not the one defined by Nawaz Sharif’s brown nosing, spineless courtiers and vested interest driven supporters, of a “critical ill person” desperately needing expert medical intervention in foreign lands! No, the tragedy is not even that between him and his brother, in the 35 odd years that they exercised power, these two vulture like robber barons couldn’t build even one outstanding medical institution to treat him in Pakistan. Even with the trillions in public funds they had at their disposal.
And guess who built three with people’s donations?
The tragedy is not that a blackmailing self styled, despicable, graceless, machavellian Mulla, can talk about destroying Pakistan and paint a grim picture of killing and violence and death, sitting in the comfort of his sofa while his ignorant, illiterate, misled supporters freeze in the cold.
The tragedy is not that a thirty something good for nothing pretentious molly coddled kid can be foisted to head a political party, simply because of biology and have educated, literate segments of our so called liberal intelligentsia look up to him as a beacon of democratic credentials.
The tragedy is that our educated and aware will run down our Army. They will criticize and demean any and all efforts to change this putrid status quo. They will support corrupt looters and plunderers like Nawaz, Zardari in the name of supporting democracy.
The tragedy is that unless we completely revamp our electoral and governance model to allow a much higher quality of educated experts and specialists to enter our legislatures and high public office, we will continue to witness the aforesaid.
And clearly the bedeviling question is the “How”. Our current environment will never allow and should not allow any sort of military or quasi military, autocratic intervention to “reform” our political order. No. We do not want a “National Government for 3 years”. None of that nonsense. No we certainly do not want an overt or latent behind the scenes military dictatorship leading to fascism. They have failed and will fail again. Guaranteed.
How do we then get out of this mess, without resorting to extra constitutional measures, which will set us back several decades. So hence the cul de sac!
In my view, the answer to revamping our electoral process, our politics and our governance model lies in good governance and in using the current system to uproot it. This includes, very importantly, reducing the military’s overwhelming footprint, and near asphyxiating strangle hold on our society!
The answer likes in strengthening our civilian public sector institutions, by appointing competent leaders at the helm, meritocracy, strong sustainable organizational processes and procedures and massive use of technology.
This is not easy, given the total mess left behind, the whole-scale destruction of our civilian institutions and now, Imran’s and his team’s, inexperience, ignorance, incompetence and arrogance!
However, as Imran grows in his role, begins to understand it better and masters the art and science of governance and public service, his decisions and the consequential outcomes will hopefully and progressively improve and have improved. We do see some green shoots of some good work put in place. Economic indicators, Tax reforms. Poverty alleviation. Its not a huge lot. But still something noteworthy, indicating we are directionally on the right path.
But the common man has yet to experience the benefits of Imran’s Naya Pakistan, currently reeling under inflation and a slow economy. This is crucial if he is to succeed! In my view, Imran’s faces two challenges. His weak team which he must fix. CM’s Buzdar and Mahmood are two of the most visible and sore examples of this!
Imran, whatever his justification and his own reasoning, in stubbornly sticking to his Buzdar decision, one being that he doesn’t want to repeat a KPK Khattak, is totally and completely wrong in continuing with Buzdar. But there’s another threat that he fears. If Buzdar goes, his Punjab and perhaps even his federal hold ends. But Buzdar is a disaster! Period! And Imran does not have time on his side to continue with this failed experiment. Certainly not in Punjab! So he has to wither up his own game to start delivering in Punjab and or compromise with power brokers and get a better person on board!
Then we have the many questionable characters in his cabinet. Advisors, special assistants, hangers on etc, some with serious issues of financial integrity and facing serious charges of corruption. He just cannot afford this confederation of the corrupt and incompetent dunces around him!
Externally, he faces the forces of a corrupt rancid political status quo and a degenerate plutocratic, kleptocratic order. Today, represented by the likes of Nawaz, Zardari, Bilawal, Fazlur Rehman, Asfandyar, Achakzai, Siraj Ul Haq and those like them. All desperate to get rid of him as they see in him the potential to destroy a political system and gravy train, which gave them access to political power, wealth and Influence.
This we see in Fazlur Rehman flexing his muscles.
In the manner the nation is being deliberately divided by spewing venom and hatred against the Army, because the Army, read Gen. Bajwa, is fully supporting Imran in strengthening civilian institutions and in breaking the stranglehold of the corrupt status quo mafia on every aspect of Pakistani society. This is a battle which will determine our future. And a battle we must win*
If Imran, were to prevail over his challenges, both of getting a better team and overcoming the forces of status quo, then over the next several years, our public sector institutions will begin to deliver outcomes, especially to the economically challenged segments of our society. We should then see improvements in healthcare, education, employment, justice, law and order, social and economic equity, poverty. We should see transparent and authentic accountability across all sectors. We should see the beginnings of what will eventually become a professional bureaucracy.
A huge win will be a surging economic engine, delivering higher GDP, more taxes, more jobs, increased exports and raising our standards and quality of living, especially of the poor! It will also deliver an economic surplus and break the chains of indebtedness to foreign countries and institutions. It will safeguard us against external machinations and conspiracies to keep us weak and unstable and poorly governed.
This is what can and will happen if Imran succeeds.
And it this massive reform agenda that the status quo is targeting with a vengeance, especially so the common man does not get relief and will come out on the streets. But and this is where the battle is, were Imran to succeed by the time the next elections come around, the masses will vote him in with a massive majority. It is then, that Imran using the mandate he receives, changes our electoral and governance models!
This dear country people is how it should happen and will happen. It is this which keeps Nawaz, Zardari, Bilawal, Fazlu, Asfandyar, Achakzai their courtiers and vested interests, the elite of Pakistan who have looted and plundered at will, awake at night and soil their clothes!
Imran’s success in delivering good governance is our only way to transforming our society. He must, must, must fix his team. And the Nation and all its institutions must support him!
This is for us, for our children, for our future! This is not about our politics, our political party, our baradari or our selfish economic interests.
Hence the “D”word about Nawaz’s Death. Death is in Allah’s hand! The issue is not whether Nawaz lives or dies. Or whether he stays or leaves! Or whether his illness is really life threatening!
The real issue for us is that our current electoral, political and governance system must be totally destroyed and uprooted so people like Nawaz and Zaradari and their children cannot loot and plunder at will and when caught, still manage to fly away to live and die in comfort and luxury !
Nawaz must not be allowed to leave (unfortunately he was)*. He must get his treatment here in Pakistan, unless our laws allow every convict, who can afford it to get bail, to go abroad for medical treatment. The hypocrisy and double standards of many members of our Superior Judiciary, adopted in this case, is nauseating! This is not being cruel. This is being fair and just. Let Nawaz be treated by a system he ruled over for 35 years.
But, this terrible system must be destroyed and uprooted, if Pakistan is to survive!
More critically, Pakistan cannot afford Imran’s failure!