Jun 22, 2011

Internal Tweaking of Political Structures: Opportunity Lost

On the internal political front there was another opportunity for Pakistan to set right civil military relations. There was scope for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to tilt the balance in favour of civilian government given that the public saw the Army and the ISI in poor light. The political parties could have taken advantage of the situation to cut the Army and ISI to size and foster accountability on these organizations that have become hydra headed monsters reporting to none. For this purpose the independent commission of enquiry as demanded by Mr Nawaz Sharif should be the way ahead. Whether the PPP government which is hand in glove with the army to shelter it as this also provides a shield to its own failures agrees to the same remains to be seen, but there would be a need for building internal and international pressure to hold such a commission of enquiry to establish facts of how Osama Bin Laden managed to survive in Abottabad for so many years.

However the Zardari government is so weak and is also propped up by the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League Qaid (PML Q) who is traditional supporters of the Army. The Army stands discredited and has attempted to turn attention towards India but the reaction is not likely to hold water as people have now possibly realized vulnerability of a force which has lost much of its professional credibility.

The second dimension is an opportunity to declare full fledged war on terror by challenging fundamentalist forces in the country. This would require much courage on the part of the civil and the military leadership which may also not be forthcoming at present. So it may be more hedging by the government and the Army in the days ahead.

The economic situation in the country also invited the attention of local political leadership with Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif stating that the country was heading towards doom. With a dwindling economy and low level of growth just over 2 percent, the nationalistic sentiment raised by the killing of Osama Bin Laden only added to the drift in Pakistan and the government is likely to face major challenges on the economic front from time to time.

Pakistan’s hope now is Mr Nawaz Sharif who  has taken a clear stand against  the Army and the ISI and is seeking to capitalize on the Zardari government’s weakness on all the fronts, will he prove to be Islamabad’s messiah delivering what he could not in his previous tenures as Prime Minister of the country remains to be seen?