Articles of the year 2013
Published on June 04th 2013
The PPP is continuing to ignore the warning signs from the party workers, who have arrived at the mid-term as the Party in power,and should be in an enviable position, being in the driving seat, but they are resigned to having been passed over yet again in the goodies department. Unlike other countries where the fruits of the political victors are distributed evenly—or on a merit system, the PPP party has devolved their own system based mainly on a corrupt structure wherein the job opportunities are ‘sold’ and the monies so generated are passed up the party chain.
The situation today is far more serious, with fewer jobs, and more mouths to feed, the despair is mounting, the Party rank and file are depressed further, for they are convinced that having joined the Party, and having cast their vote for their beloved Party, and having won the Government it would be easy street for them, alas, there was an acute shortage of goodies, made worse by the increase in the number of visible Pajeros. The crushing reality of becoming a winning have-not is making the Party loyalists to start wondering whether all the fuss over the NRO, is detracting from the creation of more goodies. Instead of creating more jobs, from Industry --- the private sector, they are overloading the Public sector, PIA and the Steel Mill, pushing them further into the red. Everywhere the search is for the quick buck which leads to one scam after another. This loss of hope in the Party rank and file is making the top tiers wobbly, and unstable. Meanwhile a PPP Minister issued a statement that not all suicides were caused by poverty. Probably the most stupid statement of the decade!
However far more dangerous is a piece from a weekly that has suggested obliquely, that the higher judiciary has sent feelers to enquire whether ‘ they would come to their aid in case of the NRO suit . To which, ‘ conferred with their advisors (here and abroad) they replied that they would follow the precedent set by their former Chief. The insinuation here is very dangerous for it indicates clearly that our higher judiciary is consulting foreigners. This is not only insulting but highly offensive to the entire population, and deserves to be clarified at the earliest. There are millions of Pakistanis who are convinced and believe that the independence of the Judiciary is our only hope. And that the Supreme Court will deliver its judgements fairly, and without fear. To cast doubts on the higher judiciary by these insinuations is to strike at the fundamentals of any society. Further to insinuate or even hint that the vetting of our judgements by foreigners is to be taken very seriously, and action must be taken against those making such accusations, even frivolously. The honour of our Higher Judiciary is sacred to all of us.
In a country such as ours, where corruption has brought us to the brink of disaster, we are faced with MNAs and MPAs.who have committed perjury to win their seats and are now bent upon destroying the only institution other than the army that is functioning. We are drifting towards a country where we are without any direction and now no hope. The sooner the Judiciary can stem this rot, and rid us of these Dastis, and their promoters by taking action against the Election Commissioner for not registering a suitable case under the appropriate law thus removing him from the political scene—forever. The Prime Minister has erred in allowing him to re-enter the House, and democracy is being shown to allow criminals to succeed in our society. He has also let his sense of political expediency make a mockery of his Party, and that of his Shaheed leader. For once the Min of Interior Rahman Malik has done the honorable thing by offering to resign if he is found to be complicit in the telephony scam.
It is heartening to note that Nawaz Sharif is now insisting that looted money should be returned forthwith. He has now realized that this is the call of the people and that they will not tolerate the loot and run of the incumbents. They will be brought to book, and the money will be returned. It was done in Nigeria, Haiti, the Philippines. Nobody ever lived to enjoy their ill gotten gains. The return of the money is just a question of when. The PPP should have concentrated on moving the country forward instead of becoming mired in the NRO, which may by itself destroy the PPP. The loss of hope is death for the people, for they have nothing else.