President had better quit as army ought to stay away
After three hectic days of deliberations and consultations, the leaders of the two main parties in the ruling coalition have decided to move against President Pervez Musharraf. At a joint press conference on Aug 7, Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and their coalition partners announced that due to his numerous unconstitutional actions President Musharraf had weakened the federation and other institutions of the state as well as brought the country’s economy to a dangerously precarious situation. He was also accused of not fulfilling his promise to take a fresh vote of confidence from the newly elected assemblies. Therefore, it was suggested, that he should seek an immediate vote of confidence from the National and four provincial assemblies, failing which action would be taken to impeach him under Article 47 of the Constitution. After the impeachment, it was agreed that the government would move to restore the judges under the terms of the Bhurban declaration and that the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution would be scrapped.
The move by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif is likely to further the cause of democracy and remove some of the doubts surrounding the future of the coalition. These doubts had arisen because of the coalition’s inability to act upon the Bhurban declaration which also led to severe criticism of the government and particularly Asif Zardari. However, August 7 should go a long way in redeeming Mr Zardari’s battered image. The manner in which he – and for that matter Mr Sharif –handled the recent negotiations showed maturity and patience. Such a handling of the situation bodes well for the future of the coalition and the country.
Historically, undemocratic governments in Pakistan have used the pretext of political and economic instability to grab and hold on to power. However, the irony is that these crises worsen because of the undemocratic nature of such regimes. These governments then give the impression that their actions are supported by the military as President Musharraf did on October 12, 1999 when he ousted an elected government. Even after resigning as army chief, he continued to claim the support of the armed forces and never imagined that the institution where he had spent the best part of his life would one day distance itself from him.
The president should also realize that many of his actions, particularly his move against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the superior judiciary, have served to weaken him to the extent that he is now in a position where he is unable to either represent the federation or to carry out the duties required of a president. Wouldn’t the wise option then be for him to – on his own — step aside and allow democratic institutions to function without any hindrance? This in turn would help Pakistan take on more effectively the many challenges it faces, particularly rising militancy and terrorism, for which a national consensus is a pre-requisite. Having multiple centers of power in dealing with such a crisis only helps one’s opponents and that may partly explain the resilience of the extremists – since their opponents (i.e. the government and its various stakeholders) seem divided.
Having said that, it is regrettable that no inclination of any kind to adopt such a course of action is evident so far from the presidency. On the contrary, there are alarming signals of the president fighting it out till the bitter end and this clearly is not going to be good for any of the parties involved, not least the people of Pakistan. Presumably, this is also why the coalition has been saying all along that the president will have no qualms in dissolving parliament and installing a dispensation similar to the one seen before. We plead with the president not to entertain such an idea because it will only aggravate matters and open a Pandora’s box with the situation in the country quickly spinning out of control. Now is the time to atone for the undemocratic acts of our past. If this opportunity is squandered by the president, all blame will rest on his shoulders. It is also reassuring that the present army chief, General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, is a professional soldier whose sole interest lies in the improvement of the military as a fighting force. Proof of this was his recent directive withdrawing military personnel from the civil sphere. This needs to be taken as a positive signal that suggests that the military is no longer interested in coming to the aid of a dictator.
A president in a democracy is supposed to be a non-controversial and impartial figure whose only role as far as politics is concerned is to act as a guide and a check on political parties. He is not to direct voters to vote for a particular political party, not least because such tactics inevitably backfire as they did in the February elections where the partisan nature of the presidency actually ended up hurting prospects of PML-Q candidates. In this context, one would also like to advise leaders of some political parties that it is in their own interest to refrain from supporting undemocratic forces. In reaction to the impeachment announcement, some have said that there are in fact many other pressing issues that need to be dealt with, such as inflation and the worsening state of the economy. While no one doubts the adverse impact of inflation on people’s lives, one cannot deny that the uncertainty and instability born out of an undemocratic and lawless society is equally, if not more, dangerous for a nation (albeit in a more intangible way).
There is also some truth in the allegation by the present government that the petrol and flour crises were deliberately engineered before the elections – or at the very least willfully left unresolved – the idea being to weaken a fledgling government. There is only one way out of this and that is for the president to resign without delay. If he chooses a path of confrontation and faces the charge-sheet, a situation may arise where demands are made for his punishment. It is also imperative that the military not intervene in any manner and allow the Constitution to run its course.
Posted on: 8-August-2008
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Source: The News (http://www.thenews.com.pk)
The move by PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif is likely to further the cause of democracy and remove some of the doubts surrounding the future of the coalition. These doubts had arisen because of the coalition’s inability to act upon the Bhurban declaration which also led to severe criticism of the government and particularly Asif Zardari. However, August 7 should go a long way in redeeming Mr Zardari’s battered image. The manner in which he – and for that matter Mr Sharif –handled the recent negotiations showed maturity and patience. Such a handling of the situation bodes well for the future of the coalition and the country.
Historically, undemocratic governments in Pakistan have used the pretext of political and economic instability to grab and hold on to power. However, the irony is that these crises worsen because of the undemocratic nature of such regimes. These governments then give the impression that their actions are supported by the military as President Musharraf did on October 12, 1999 when he ousted an elected government. Even after resigning as army chief, he continued to claim the support of the armed forces and never imagined that the institution where he had spent the best part of his life would one day distance itself from him.
The president should also realize that many of his actions, particularly his move against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the superior judiciary, have served to weaken him to the extent that he is now in a position where he is unable to either represent the federation or to carry out the duties required of a president. Wouldn’t the wise option then be for him to – on his own — step aside and allow democratic institutions to function without any hindrance? This in turn would help Pakistan take on more effectively the many challenges it faces, particularly rising militancy and terrorism, for which a national consensus is a pre-requisite. Having multiple centers of power in dealing with such a crisis only helps one’s opponents and that may partly explain the resilience of the extremists – since their opponents (i.e. the government and its various stakeholders) seem divided.
Having said that, it is regrettable that no inclination of any kind to adopt such a course of action is evident so far from the presidency. On the contrary, there are alarming signals of the president fighting it out till the bitter end and this clearly is not going to be good for any of the parties involved, not least the people of Pakistan. Presumably, this is also why the coalition has been saying all along that the president will have no qualms in dissolving parliament and installing a dispensation similar to the one seen before. We plead with the president not to entertain such an idea because it will only aggravate matters and open a Pandora’s box with the situation in the country quickly spinning out of control. Now is the time to atone for the undemocratic acts of our past. If this opportunity is squandered by the president, all blame will rest on his shoulders. It is also reassuring that the present army chief, General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani, is a professional soldier whose sole interest lies in the improvement of the military as a fighting force. Proof of this was his recent directive withdrawing military personnel from the civil sphere. This needs to be taken as a positive signal that suggests that the military is no longer interested in coming to the aid of a dictator.
A president in a democracy is supposed to be a non-controversial and impartial figure whose only role as far as politics is concerned is to act as a guide and a check on political parties. He is not to direct voters to vote for a particular political party, not least because such tactics inevitably backfire as they did in the February elections where the partisan nature of the presidency actually ended up hurting prospects of PML-Q candidates. In this context, one would also like to advise leaders of some political parties that it is in their own interest to refrain from supporting undemocratic forces. In reaction to the impeachment announcement, some have said that there are in fact many other pressing issues that need to be dealt with, such as inflation and the worsening state of the economy. While no one doubts the adverse impact of inflation on people’s lives, one cannot deny that the uncertainty and instability born out of an undemocratic and lawless society is equally, if not more, dangerous for a nation (albeit in a more intangible way).
There is also some truth in the allegation by the present government that the petrol and flour crises were deliberately engineered before the elections – or at the very least willfully left unresolved – the idea being to weaken a fledgling government. There is only one way out of this and that is for the president to resign without delay. If he chooses a path of confrontation and faces the charge-sheet, a situation may arise where demands are made for his punishment. It is also imperative that the military not intervene in any manner and allow the Constitution to run its course.
Posted on: 8-August-2008
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Source: The News (http://www.thenews.com.pk)
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