Political Reconciliation and Election 2008 in Pakistan

By Farid Masood • Feb 14th, 2008 • Category: Pakistan Vote'08, Politics • (1,198 views) • No Responses

The title doesn’t means in term of government. Here is a new idea of Political Reconciliation. During the last years of Marshal Law of General Zia-ul-Haq a government headed by late Mr Muhammad Khan Junejo was elected based on non-party elections. Such type of elections or a government without any majority suits any military dictator. Even then Mr Junejo was sent home by the use of discretionary power to the President given by 8th amendment without completing the five (05) years tenure.

Since the sad demise of Marshal Law with the death of Genreal Zia-ul-Haq in 1988. Pakistan Peoples Party formed the government headed by late Baynazir Bhutto as Prime Minister. Establishment was not happy with that government and Mr Ghulam Ishaq Khan then President dissolved the assemblies after two years in 1990.

Another elections and emergence of another party with the liking of establishment named IJI (Islami Jamhori Itehad) headed by Mr Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister. This government was dissolved in 1993 by Mr Ghulam Ishaq Khan the President of Pakistan.

Another elections another government of PPP again headed by the late Baynazir Bhutto. Again this government was demolished in 1996 by MrFarooq Ahmad Khan Laghari the President who was made by PPP. Mr Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari used the same weapon of 8th amendment to deal with that government.

Again came Mr Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister under the flag of PML(N) and over-thrown by the person who is now self declared President of a front line state in war on terror.

Making the long short during the period of 1985 to 1999 and till now, we witnessed many parties and alliances. Just have a look, PML, PML(J), PML(N), PML(Q), JUI, JUI(S), JUI(F), PIF, PPP(SB), IJI and many other small parties like PKMAP, BNP, ANP not forgetting MQM etc.

What the hell these all chapters of our nation are doing, no one has a vision how to make policies in the fields of foreign affairs, internal affairs, Kashmir issue, dealing with neighboring countries, brother Muslim countries, Human Resource and its marketing but governments of PPP and PML(N) made certain decisions which then were felt wrong but were proved right due to contemporary circumstances. For example, PPP government permitted IPPs to come and produce electricity. This was a wrong decision at that time as we are still provided with the ample water resource and may produce electric power by classic means. But think if these IPPs were not there we may have to purchase a Rs 10 candle in Rs 100. And so many other decisions by Mr Nawaz Sharif also.

To mention this here became a requirement of the topic. PML(N) opposed PPP and vice versa. A person stood up and got his political party registered, another came and got the license of politics. This all had made a jumble bumble of parties. No when with a clear point of view, one came up with the opposition of another. If I became angry and got resources then registered my own party against my father, what is all this fuss about?

Many linguistics based political parties came into existence representing even a village not the country. Is it or was a requirement of the politics? In easily digestible sense there should only be two or three parties aimed to perform at national level. In democracy, if I talk about a point of view in greater interest of the country, there may be an opposing point of view, but more than a dozen point of view doesn’t make a sense, do they?

But both the point of views meant to be in the greater interest of the country and the nation living in it. A wayward crowed having no political system of government welcomes such nightmares we saw in the shape of many military dictator like Musharaf.

Now, the idea is that the time has come to do politically reconciliation, how? We have seen a point of view on which Pakistan Peoples Party and PML(N) are agreed that the system should be changed and there should be no military or pro-military government. It’s a good stance, a healthy one for the system improvement. Both the parties may not agree upon the merger but they can come on opposing each other slightly in principles for the betterment of nation. All other parties should be merged or a party having an MNA or MPA should be given deadline by the Election Commission so that they should increase their voter base of get their registration cancelled and in case such group still wants to be in the politics then they should merge themselves. In this way we have two or three parties on the national level. I am not trying to give example of American system, but such a junk of parties are not in favour of solidarity of Pakistan. Small parties based on a point of view or based on linguistics some try to blackmail the authority of the government and an issue becomes in existence.

The role of the President should be neutral in any case and he is the symbol of unity for the nation not a party. Un-fortunately Mr Pervaiz Musharaf became a party to strengthen his existence and created negative image for himself. This is one of the reasons why the nation became so much against his government. So, involvement of government or un-concerned authorities in the politics or in political parties must not happen. In such a case election could be held free and fair. And who may perform well may be re-elected not by the push of ‘somebody’.

So this was the idea of political reconciliation between political parties. Internally the point of view about government may differ but the point of view at international level should be the near to same. If country exists we can do politics for the betterment of the people and of the country at national and international level and we may progress economically in this case only. This could not be done overnight but may be in next five years. How it looks like, the readers may tell.