Politics of power-sharing

Prof Jamaluddin Naqvi
Dawn, 19 October

THE recent power-sharing arrangement, which ensures the stability of the status quo, has pushed stocks in the Karachi Stock Exchange to an all-time high.

Howsoever corporate Pakistan may prefer stability over everything else, the nation at large has had enough of things as they are and craves for a change that would empower the people. The nation has been silenced. Every talk show on the electronic media bears this out.

There is no indication that we are inching towards democracy. How can we, when even elementary questions such as which institutions constitute the pillars of state are still being debated? Pakistan is supposed to be a federal parliamentary democracy with a president as the symbolic head of state, a legislature, an executive responsible to it, headed by a prime minister, and an independent judiciary. The army is merely a sub-institution of the executive. It is not a pillar of the state itself.

In President Musharraf’s social architecture, the army has been sublimated to the high pedestal of a pillar of state. The troika involved in power-sharing includes the president, the prime minister (due to internal and external compulsions) and the army chief of staff. A transition is bound to be smooth and peaceful as it is hardly a transition at all.

The president is quite candid about his objectives. He is a military man and knows about victories and defeats. Lies and deceit are fair tools in the game of war. Victory becomes a challenge if the enemy is an energised military force within the country as in Waziristan. But when dealing with an unarmed civilian population victory is easy. Musharraf speaks about power brokers and the troika. One does not know how he reconciles his philosophy of power brokers with the rule of law.

The issue of national security is dear to his heart. The major issue he is concerned about is the insurgency in the tribal areas of the Frontier where the government admits it is not doing well. But the main problem the president should be concerned about pertains to social security. The absence of political transparency, rule of law, adequate health and education facilities, safe drinking water, a viable sewerage system and a mechanism to keep sky-rocketing prices under check are of direct concern to the people. There are hundreds of missing persons being held incognito by the agencies. The courts have come to their rescue but the resistance from the agencies is stiff.

But these are issues that are not the concerns of the GHQ that is in control. A power-sharing arrangement with all parties on board and a pliant prime minister and if possible, a pliant judiciary leaves the GHQ to call the shots. Since all partners are beholden to or creatures of various military regimes, they are as committed to the status quo as the GHQ itself.

All that the people have got from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is a united front of military and politicians whose common objective is to prevent the empowerment of the masses. Power-sharing is between the supporters of the status quo.

The people are frustrated. There is no political star to which they can hitch their wagon. Not that they have lost their spirit. They performed miracles during the lawyers’ movement. They can do so again if a leader can win their trust.