SPY EYES

Pakistan seems to have no respite from the Great Games that its own elites play to thwart the sovereign will and mandate of its people.

Since the very beginning, there have been all sorts of games to manipulate every rule, every law, and the Constitutions as well, to suit the elites’ philistine agendas. Though martial laws have been the worst kind of naked gamesmanship, however, the covert influencing and twisting of the ruling politicians and those waiting in wings to be in power and in turn their complicity, proved to be the most dangerous trickery that cut at the root of constitutionalism in Pakistan. Among so many things which the elites’ gamesmanship resulted in the dismemberment of East Pakistan from the West and the raging Taliban and their inhuman terrorism being too known examples, it completely wiped out all semblance of civilian supremacy in governing the country.

On top of it may be listed manipulation of elections both before and after the polling process. This tarnished the credibility of the representatives and representative institutions as well; turned upside down the whole façade of representative government; and left the scheme of things laid down by the constitutions topsy-turvy. Not for a few years, but the puppet-show played through decades continues till the moment.

This proves without doubt that no one from the elite classes learned anything necessary to run a country and bring order in the society. There are various sections of political affiliations which blame for the gamesmanship their favorite enemies: some believe the feudal lords are responsible for the ills the country and its citizens are facing; some think it is capitalists; still others single out bureaucracy as the culprit; and some other consider politicians to be the perpetrator; but all of them concur in declaring the US as the root cause. In the writer’s opinion, it means nothing until and unless the local accomplice is not identified.

Apart from this, for the last decade or so, sort of consensus has emerged that puts blame on the military for dismantling of the representative institutions and all that relates to representative government. This actually takes exception to the already entrenched view that politicians are the real culprits, and holds that its purpose was to discredit them to create room for the military adventurism. But this new stance of absolving the politicians confounds the issue inextricably.

At its core, the new stance does not take cognizance of legality and constitutionality that must rule Pakistan. Those who hold this position must be asked: who should uphold the law and the rule of law, the criminal or the law-enforcer. Under the constitution of Pakistan, it is ruling political party, the government, whose duty it is to uphold the law, not the other subservient institutions such as bureaucracy or army. If martial laws are validated in the parliaments, who does validate them! The same politicians! Who does play the role of accomplices with the imposers of martial laws? The same politicians! So be it known that the main and real culprits are none but politicians themselves.

The Great Game unfolding these days again brings forth ample evidence as to the involvement of the politicians as pawns of the gamesters. Obviously the game is an older one with many older horses providing power to it, but there is one new an ambitious entrant.

Before delving into the dynamics of this new game, let’s have a look at the latest chess board of Pakistan’s politics. With the murder of Benazir Bhutto, a great tectonic shift has taken place in it: the target of the security elite of Pakistan, that is Pakistan Peoples Party, is now its trusted ally. This means the alliance of the elites of Pakistan under the security establishment’s leadership no more sees any threat emanating from the Pakistan Peoples Party, its program and its politics. The new threat that is challenging its vested arrangements seems to have taken refuge in the Pakistan Muslim League (N).

It is through this new shift that the Great Game being currently played earns its meaning. The question facing is how to contain / tame PML (N). This helps explain the events taking place these days, and thread them also. Why the formation of Seraiki province, or better say division of the Punjab province, gains so much favor with a number of political parties and groups? Doesn’t this aim at weakening the PML (N) constituency? Why Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) backtracks to befriend the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), its declared enemy earlier? Why the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) and MQM are riveting to each other? It may be the tip of the iceberg of what’s being maneuvered behind the curtains as it is difficult to deny that in this wake the alliances of various parties and groups being attempted focus on the PML (N)’s weakening as the target.

Here, it may not be inappropriate to ask why PTI is being “popularized” especially in Punjab, and as an alternative to the PML (N), with a number of TV channels projecting it as winning over the PML (N) supporters. Why the PTI has come forward as the only political party taking up the issue of Drone attacks so seriously, while there are other more urgent issues facing the people, such as electricity crisis, that need due attention by all the parties? It may also be conjectured that PTI may be playing in the hands of those who are up to settle certain issues with the US government, and it may be feared when the issues are resolved where will PTI stand? A glance at the chess board reveals PTI is the new pawn in the present Great Game.

There is convincing evidence that the issue of Drone attacks is an issue purposively being blown up out of proportions to seek certain gains from the US government, whereas it is not that important. It was in early March this year that the newspapers reported: “General Officer Commanding 7-Division Maj-Gen Ghayur Mehmood said in a briefing here: “Myths and rumours about US predator strikes and the casualty figures are many, but it’s a reality that many of those being killed in these strikes are hardcore elements, a sizeable number of them foreigners. Yes there are a few civilian casualties in such precision strikes, but a majority of those eliminated are terrorists, including foreign terrorist elements.” So what the heck PTI tries to extract out of it is not clear; others may be extracting what they want is more than obvious.

Last but not least, the PPP’s desperate trying to form new alliances shows where its eyes are fixed at and from where it is getting the push. All those involved in this Great Game share a common goal of manipulating the will and mandate of the people of Pakistan, and the constitution as well. So again it is politicians in and out of the government who are betraying the citizens and the constitution and are coalescing with those who are again out to thwart the will and mandate of the people and the supremacy of the constitution of Pakistan. Don’t they realize artificial plantation in political fields grow un-natural crops in addition to destroying the natural ones turning the land barren?