Politics in Pakistan is changing. New faces have come up, fresh ideas have emerged and on the whole, the nation is witnessing greater political awareness amongst the masses. Grassroots’ initiatives to actively participate in facilitating better living conditions and equality are spreading like wildfire. Last week, Tahir ul-Qadri returned to the political stage and in one swift move, condemned the current political structure and threatened consequences if issues were not rectified.
On the face of it Qadri’s call for electoral reforms and purging the system from corrupt officials is something that all political parties and leaders have been advocating for. In many ways, this revived Imran Khan’s tsunami, the lasting effects of which were dwindling rapidly. But as the elections draw nearer, all parties are singing the same tune of democracy and human rights.
It was actually Qadri’s demands and their unclear, by many accounts even unrealistic, ways of implementation which have perturbed politicians and the masses. In his mission of saving the state, he gave the government a deadline of 2 weeks to introduce electoral reforms and set up a caretaker government composed of moral people with the consensus of all “stakeholders”.
First things first; why did Qadri pick this time, a mere few months away from the elections, to demand reforms? Especially when positive advancements had been made in deciding a Chief Election Commissioner, catching discrepancies in voter lists and reaffirming voters indicating the desire of political parties to hold free and fair elections. Qadri insisted that reforms be introduced prior to holding elections, in the presence of a caretaker government, even if this process takes longer than 90 days. Calling for reforms at the possible expense of delaying a democratic process seemed contradictory. Qadri, however, offered Article 254 as a justification for his demand. After all, a small sacrifice for the greater good is acceptable isn’t it?
The second worrisome factor in Qadri’s suggestions for improvement was involving all stakeholders in designing a caretaker government. However, it is unclear how far he wants the judiciary and more importantly the military involved in the electoral process. Rumors about Qadri’s hidden hark to a coup surfaced. In the past, military coups were in fact done to save the riyasat (state) by sidelining siyasat (politics), ironically the slogan for Qadri’s campaign. In a televised interview, following his rally, Qadri chose to clarify the inclusion of the military and judiciary as facilitators not drivers of electoral reforms. He also wanted all parties to be a part of this democratic process not just the PPP and PML-N deciding the fate of 18 million people.
What is more interesting is how political parties have reacted to the allegations and suggestions put forward by Qadri. PPP leaders challenged the moral compass upheld by Qadri. PML-N, the leading opposition party, saw Qadri as part of a larger conspiracy against their party. MQM curiously showed massive support for Qadri and even sent its senior representatives to attend his Minar-e-Pakistan rally. They have also agreed to participate in the Jan 14th long march to Islamabad. Odd how MQM supported Qadri’s anti-feudal system when in fact they are coalition partners with the largest feudal family of Pakistan. Analysts feel that MQM is less likely to turn their backs on PPP and supporting Qadri is just meant to gain some supporters in Punjab. Qadri was at best related to Imran Khan whose campaign’s crux was also transparency. Although there are some overlaps between the visions of the two leaders, PTI has chosen to assert its individuality and refusal to formulate alliances.
Political forces are suspicious of an upcoming announcement of Qadri’s plan for contesting elections. Qadri for his part has clearly denied any such intentions. So if he doesn’t plan to enter the electoral ring and political parties have kept him at an arm’s length, then what is Qadri planning to do? In Pakistan, sadly, public servants do not work only for the purpose of serving people; there is always some sort of return that they hope to gain. The multi million rupee rally was not done simply to awaken the masses and jolt the government. Similarly, the upcoming long march is less than likely to be for altruistic means. It seems too farfetched to believe that a rally was funded entirely by Minhaj-ul-Quran’s followers who donated their salaries and sold their jewelry, cars and other assets for a public procession. So who is supporting Qadri? And especially if he does not intend to run in the elections, then what forces does he represent which want to change the course of democratic process in Pakistan?
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