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A Shifting Political Landscape
By Raza Rumi:
If there is any single constant in Pakistani politics it is perennial instability. More so when fledgling democracies struggle to change the governance discourse and attempt to consolidate their hold over power which has traditionally been concentrated in the unelected ‘arms’ of the executive. The current civilian governments at the centre and the provinces are no exception
to this historical trend.
Nevertheless contemporary political dynamics in the country display both continuity and discontinuity from historical trends. This is what makes Pakistan’s evolution during the 21st century a most fascinating process of societal change and resistance by the post-colonial state which is basically fighting a serious battle for its survival; and perhaps has entered the decisive
phase of this conflict.
To understand Pakistan’s domestic struggles, its unfortunate geo-strategic positioning cannot be separated from what happens inside the country. This is why domestic politics remains locked in competing narratives of what Pakistan should not do or what it ought to be doing vis-à-vis. the U.S. The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, the decade long struggle of Pakistan’s security establishment to retain its leverage in Afghanistan and “contain” India has possibly exhausted its policy options. Therefore the internal monopoly of power wielded by the military-intelligence complex is also under threat and the civilians, despite their tottering politics, find themselves in a unique situation of redefining how power may be redistributed and exercised in the years to come. Whether the civilians are able to assert themselves in a meaningful and sustainable manner remains to be seen.
Since May 2, when OBL was captured and killed by U.S. Navy Seals, the Pakistani military complex has come under immense pressure from NATO and the West. U.S-Pak relations have never been so strained while public opinion on both the sides has exacerbated matters.
The major developments were Pakistan’s demand to remove U.S. trainers and other personnel stationed in the country and the suspension of $800 million military aid resulting in a major fire-fighting exercise by both sides and culminating in the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief’s visit to the U.S. in mid-July. The two ‘frenemies’ – an apt description of the relationship have for the time kissed and made up until the next crisis emerges. In the meantime, the U.S. policy of sending drones into Pakistan’s tribal areas continues unabated.
The U.S. strike on the OBL hideout on May 2 unleashed a barrage of criticism in the Pakistani press and its ubiquitous electronic media. Such was the power of the ensuing debate that media commentators known for their apologetic stance on all things military turned against their erstwhile gods, and helped build a discourse which openly targeted the incompetence of the military in defending the country’s air space against the U.S. “invasion.”
The liberal-secular section of the media gurus chanted the complicity theory with a renewed gusto. On national television unprecedented discussions took place, the most memorable being Asma Jahangir’s scathing attack on the generals as policy “duffers.” This was followed by the traditionally pro-establishment party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) calling for military accountability. The ruling coalition of PPP-ANP played it safe and decided to take a cynical approach of supporting the military for short-term power gains. However, the pressure within the PPP is such that it may not be able to sustain its opportunistic stance.
Barring the 2007-08 fatigue with army rule exemplified by the lawyers’ movement, the current spate of challenging the military dominance is the second moment after the breakup of Pakistan in December 1971 that needs serious soul-searching at the military’s end. In spite of the frantic political developments in the month of July, the momentum is hardly lost. Pakistan’s relatively free print media and the rise of the social media imply that criticism of the military is no longer a prohibited topic of public debate. As international pressure on Pakistan will grow in the coming months and the leverage that the Pakistan army had created in the form of its support to Afghan Taliban will be further reduced due to the U.S. policy of talking directly to sections of the Taliban and major strategic shifts might be in order.
Therefore a renegotiation of the way foreign and security policies are conceived and rolled out might take place in the short to medium term. Furthermore, the U.S. policy of engaging with the civilian authorities might not witness a reversal as was announced in mid-July through a renewed pledge to continue civilian aid to Pakistan. This inability of the U.S. aid bureaucracy to engage with the civilian institutions and demonstrate development results has exacerbated the widespread anti-Americanism in the country. Most Pakistanis believe that they are losing their soldiers and civilians in acts of terrorism due to the war on terror. Other than the ruling PPP and ANP, few political parties own this war as a Pakistani battle against extremism. Under such circumstances, the U.S. will have to rethink its handling of aid and pledges that it has made to the Pakistani people.
Turning back to the domestic dynamics, the PPP-led federal government has defied all predictions of its fall. It has completed three years in office and is all set to gain a majority in the upper house, i.e. the Senate, which may help the PPP retain power beyond the next general election. The survival of an otherwise fragile coalition has largely been possible due to the maverick political skills of President Zardari and his deft handling of Pakistan’s key political actors including the permanent establishment. The largest opposition party, PML-N, feels threatened by the constellation of political forces allied under the leadership of Zardari, in particular, the representatives belonging to the three smaller provinces, which confirm to the Zardari-led PPP’s “federal” credentials.
The wildcard in this political arrangement is the tense situation in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, which generates up to 20 percent of the country’s GDP and is its financial nerve centre. During July, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement walked out of the federal and provincial governments and an unfortunate cycle of violence ensued with this development. At the time of writing, nearly 150 people in Karachi were dead and billions of rupees were lost either due to the damage to public and private property or through the economic consequences of strikes.
The PPP’s reintroduction of the 1861 Police Act and revival of the commissionerate system for Karachi and Sindh may work in the short-term but is being billed as a regressive policy
decision. It is tragic that this move to bring back colonial forms of governance would tend to
dilute the otherwise glorious achievement of decentralizing federal powers through the 18th Amendment.
Perhaps the July 1 celebration of Devolution Day remains a formidable silver lining in the
political landscape of Pakistan. The historic struggles for provincial autonomy are bearing fruit and political parties by consensus have devolved hundreds of essential functions, powers and mandates to provincial governments, backed by greater resources through a revised National Finance Commission agreed in 2009. As of July 1, seventeen federal ministries have been abolished and their functions and staff transferred to the provinces.The far-reaching effects of this development will be realized in the years to come.
It is ironic that this transformational shift has attracted little media attention within Pakistan and abroad. Other than Pakistan’s resilient and informal economic and social networks, only decentralized governance can save this country from the clichéd “failed state” status.
Pakistan’s current democratic spell may not have lived up to the expectations of people suffering from hyper-inflation and energy shortages, but it has surely set the momentum for profound shifts in the way this nation of 180 million people is governed. It should be clear that the continuity of civilian rule is essential for Pakistan’s stability in the long term.
Source: http://www.saglobalaffairs.com/regional/984-a-shifting-political-landscape.pdf
Filed under: Politics · Tags: country, Pakistan, political, Raza Rumi
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To Raza
The next step, the most unavoidable one, in Pakistan’s evolution has to be (and definitely will be) the eviction of arab imperialism-racism and the arab religion exported from Arabia. A time has to come when the descendants of hindus who were bribed or intimidated or fooled into becoming quislings of islamic-arabic-turkish imperialisms (in the name of an arab god) re-discover their roots and their real dignity, history and self-respect. That will be the really FASCINATING time. The use of the word “fascinating” by Raza here in this article is hence too early. Right now it is just bloodshed, mutual deceit (“I am more clever or more pious than you” thing) and impending more bloodshed. You can’t call that fascinating, can you?
The moves towards decentralisation and greater Provincial Autonomy have certainly been a feather in the cap for this Government. Actually all Pakistanis need to be congratulated for holding together in spite of the enormous challenges we have faced in the past three and a half years. Speaks volumes for the resilience of the ordinary people. They are irrepressible.
@ obersv: no chance mate. We can’t just air brush out what you term ‘ Arab/ Turkish Imperialism’. Neither can you. Best to accept historical facts and legacies. 800 years of Muslim rule cannot be forgotten. The conquerors of India happened to be of the Muslim faith. It was not an Islamic invasion. The indigenous population were not converted forcibly. They converted of their own volition. It is the anti- racist nature of Islam and the equality it offers– all are equal under One God– that attracts people to Islam. I am sorry you have to be reminded of it but we can’t turn back the clock. Try seeing a psychiatrist to discuss your angst. You appear to be an Anders Beiring type character to me. Hope you don’t possess a gun!
Amin,
Just a suggestion! Most probably you would not follow it but doesn’t harm to suggest it.
Really look hard at how many Hindus were killed, not as part of invasion, but as part of Islamic ‘duty’ to kill Kafirs. Look at how many Hindus were sold into slavery. Read about the general practice of appropriating women of the killed Hindus. Read about the number of temples which were ransacked and destroyed.
Even today Islam speaks of “right hand possessions”!
Just read about it for your own knowledge. You don’t have to discuss it with anyone!
what is desparately needed is not dolittle doddling but down-right doing. that is the crux of the flux leading to oblivion because of lack of know-vision. due tio rabid corruption at the top, pakistan has become the laughing stock of the civilized world at large. Atleast I donot sing along with Mitch…. I want to shake and make chanGe come… orgasm of aesthETHICS.
there are 2 typos = 2 artworks by Iqbal Geoffrey , above!!
@Raj: The taking of war booty, women,slaves etc.was an ancient custom and not peculiar to those of the Muslim faith. It was an unfortunate part of warfare… and Hindus were not the only victims. Even in Intra- Muslim conflicts the loser paid the price. Babar lost his wife to Shaibani Khan. In ancient Intra- Hindu conflicts, the spoils of war also went to the victor. Everybody was not Asoka. Slaves rose to very high positions in Islamic political History: the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt and in India– Altamash, Qutubuddin Aibak, Razia Sultana.
The Holy Quran does mention ‘ captives of the right hand’ in the verses relating to War. This was in the early years when battles were being fought, there were a lot of Prisoners and direction was needed as to their treatment. There was no Geneva Convention and it was better that they went into ‘ service’ rather than be killed. Slaves are also mentioned in the Bible and the Jewish scriptures. Both Solomon and David had hundreds of wives. Slavery was part and parcel of many Christian countries. It is the basis for the wealth of the British Empire and the United States.
Thankfully it has been abolished now though bonded labour and exploitation of women and children sadly still exist.
amin commented:
“The conquerors of India happened to be of the Muslim faith. It was not an Islamic invasion. The indigenous population were not converted forcibly. They converted of their own volition. It is the anti- racist nature of Islam and the equality it offers– all are equal under One God– that attracts people to Islam. I am sorry you have to be reminded of it but we can’t turn back the clock. Try seeing a psychiatrist to discuss your angst.”
—
I inform myelf about islam and muslims reading pakistani muslim-made newspapers, whereas you inform yourself about hindu religions by reading pakistan ideology propaganda pamphlets. Hence my analysis of islam is factual and accurate whereas your analysis of hindus is just self-deceit. So I can write:
1)
India was invaded by many – but none kept their extra territorial loyalties, they became indians. Only the islamic invaders created quislings and superiority-cum-victimhood complex that led to
partition.
2)
It was an islamic invasion because conversions, not only loot and rape, were a part of the agenda.
3)
islam has caused you muslims to become dishonest (flatterers of muslim invaderrs) and lose your analytic abilities. Hence you use the word “volition” without analysing it thoroughly.
4)
Bribery, intimidation, sexual favors, false promises etc. were made to simple-minded, ignorant or suffering people to manipulate them to become muslims.
5)
Later they realized they had been fooled, but could no more escape the prison of islam since apostates were threatened or killed.
6)
This implies that neither conversions to islam nor the ramaining within islam were voluntary acts.
7)
Islam has its own discriminatory (caste-like) system, racism etc.
Why should that one god idea be borrowed from arabs?
9)
It is not about turning back the clock, but about not lying to the children about historical events and not teaching them to hate non-muslims.
10)
Actually Pakistan and muslims need psychiatric help. Or better still just the possibility of taking to the path of honesty+peace and not islam (= total submission under a 7th century arabic totalitarian finalist-fascist ideology).
Amin Miyan,
No supposed real God has such lower standards. God requirng Right Hand possesion , advising Azal, having sex with widow on the same day of executiong her father, brother and husband , selling children is a God of 6th century and has no place in this current era. Either way , islamic or ME narrative is irrelevant and invalid for Indic land and ethos and rightfully subject to banishment from our soil. The existence of it in our land for historical reason dont translate as acceptance. Shivaji send Musalman noble’s wife calling her Mother and Khalsa kept the words of Gurus in war, Rajputs honored the tradition of not atatcking the unarmed. These people were just human and did not pretend to be God or man of God yet has the highest charachter and values.
Muslims are indoctrinated into thinking that no one was ever better than Mohammad and no one ever will be, and that everything good comes form islam and islam only and nothing better or good can come from anything else.
If a muslim questions this fascistic-narcissistic indoctrination and deceit then he has to reckon with violence against his person and even his family. Islam allows freedom of expression only to flatter previous muslim leaders and praise kuran and shariah – no matter what sufferings, lies and idiocies issue forth from them.
(Islam) and (honesty + self-respect) do not go together.
@ Observer and Sachbol: Guys you really need a proper education. Reading Shiv Sena and VHP Pamphlets will not do. Did Alexander become Indian? Why don’t you go to Greece and complain! Did the British become Indian? You know the answer.
Akbar had a Hindu Wife. By 1857 the Mughals had considerable Hiindui blood flowing in their veins. The Mughals after Humayun were Indian Kings who happened to be Muslim.
Before leaving for Germany, Subhas Chandra Bose paid respects to the tomb of Bahadur Shah Zafar in Rangoon.
When Hindu spoys mutinied against the British in Meerut, they came to Delhi to seek help from the KIng. Why? Because he was INDIAN.
I really don’t want to get into a discussion about religion. You are welcome to your beliefs. Just tell me who is ‘Bhagwan’ and ‘ Upar Wala’. That is not in the plural. Who is it that is being referred to! Like it or not you are coming round to the One Supreme Being idea.
The only hate that is being spewed is from your kind who have psychological problems and suffer from low esteem. Fortunately I happen to know many enlightened Indians who do not share your narrow views. That is why I will not generalise as you do.
Educated people keep an open mind.
Amin,
I guess Pakistan studies suffices! You believe whatever you want. Others know Islam as well. I wish more Islam on Pakistan.
Amin Miyan we are talking about the gist of islamic motivation. Mughal kings etc are just footnotes of history.No Indian pay attention to them , we have civilization nation to build and cant be wasting time in removing flies from the mentally, morally dead bodies. After 6 decades , Indians have come down to accept the wisdom of Qaid and TNT and this alone presently is a huge task to accomplish. We want no Divinie revelation teaching right hand possession, practice of azl and distribution of children and women for selling purpose. I fact , indians are ready provide all sorts of assurance and best wishes for Pakistaniat to succeed in Pakistan. After all, TNT demand this for both India and Pakistan to succeed to mark the cvilizational fingre prints.
Yes! Yes! we wish Pure Islam visit Pakistan and every city and town turns into Lyari, Kabul and Peshawar. We agree Islam means Peace and that is best achieved when all are put in gunny bags in small pices. Allah O Akabar!
I mean “small pieces”
[...] A Shifting Political Landscape [...]
Brilliant Raza Bhai. Aashqi Sabr Talab or tammana bay taab.
Only a Bareekbeen like you can notice the good achieved by transitional democracy in 3 years. Only last september Hafiz Shaikh, one of Mus remanent was predicting bankruptcy of government. Since then Military took too supplementary allocations one being Rs. 110bn and another 18%. And yet today Pakistan’s foreign reserves are ever highest. Macro economic indicators are positive.
Read USIP-IP report and thank God our Military Elites now own Quetta and Haqqani shura along with the fact that our foreign policy as well as interior policy is not civilians’ domain. Why expect miracles from PPP-ANP coalition when they do not have say in improving law and order in the country, the first prerogative for development. the So called Free Media wont tackle issue from the right perspective. But even then God seems to be on the side of Populists.
2011 seems to be Ruswayee Ka Saal for Arab dictators and Pakistani Generals.
I hate the Talibans get rid of them n Pakistan will be a better place. Pakistan stop playing your double games n kill the Talibans n eliminate them for ever.