Dynastic politics and the archaic colonial system of governance, with inbuilt avenues of corruption, have been the bane of socio-economic development and strengthening of democracy in the country. Military dictators are also equally responsible for this state of affairs and pushing the country away from the path the Quaid envisioned for it to pursue.
The result is that the country finds itself among the countries which have failed to deliver to the masses, and only the elitist and vested interests have thrived at the expense of the teeming millions. This detour from the vision of the founding fathers has also created formidable social fault-lines which have vitiated the soul of the nation.
The situation demanded path-correction, reverting to the drawing board to rediscover the real national moorings and ethos, to avert the impending precipice. People expressed their desire for change and resurrection of the soul of the nation by electing Imran Khan as Prime Minister of Pakistan. He won the franchise of the people for his unswerving commitment to accountability of those who had taken the nation for a ride, to let loose a system of governance geared to delivery to the masses and putting the country back on the rails.
Staying true to his electoral manifesto, which was overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of Pakistan, the PTI government under his stewardship lost no time in initiating the process of accountability and improving the system of governance. But his agenda is being fiercely resisted by the vested interests and those who built fortunes through corrupt practices. They have joined forces to pressurize the government to abandon the accountability process and to protect the status quo. The history of the world is a story of continued battle between proponents of the status quo and those vying for change; a change promising a better and inclusive culture of governance purported to promote the well-being of the masses rather than serving the interests of the elite. The PDM represents the resistance for continuing the status quo. History also proves that the winds of change have invariably prevailed over the forces representing the status quo.
The mind boggling revelations about corruption, money laundering and benami properties of the stalwarts of the previous regimes justify the continuation of the process of accountability. It is indeed heartening to note that Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to blink and surrender before the blackmail of the alliance of the corrupt. It is for the first time in the history of the country that those who considered themselves beyond the purview of law and relished the culture of graft and entitlement, have been made to account for their misdeeds.
In a democratic dispensation it is a collective responsibility of the government and the opposition to ensure political stability in the country and contribute their bit to promoting the well-being of the masses. The path adopted by the PDM is decidedly inimical to national interests. It needs serious rethinking.
The process is however slow due to the flaws in the existing administrative and legal structures which the Prime Minister has repeatedly pointed out. He is right to point out that change does not come with the pressing of a button. It is an arduous and challenging task which needs dismantling the vestiges of corruption, their supporting life-lines and rebuilding an unblemished system of governance. I am sure that the determination and resolve shown by him to take the process of accountability to its logical end and catapulting the country on the path of good governance, will ultimately embrace success.
The PDM, which without doubt was fighting for an illegitimate cause to sabotage the process of accountability and to destabilize the government, seems to have lost its way as is evident from the cracks that have appeared between its two major components. Though the PPP has not formally announced its departure from the alliance but there are strong portents suggesting the inevitable, which has been formalized by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Since the very beginning I have maintained that the PDM stood no chance to destabilize the government or have the process of accountability abandoned. Apart from the illegitimacy of their cause, the other reason for their predicted failure was that their movement was not supported by the establishment.
It is a defining moment for the country in regards to healing the scars on its body politic, which requires the political leadership to work collectively for changing the archaic system of governance and plugging the avenues of corruption. The opposition parties are obliged to prove their claimed credentials to defend democracy and give a corruption-free system of governance to the country. Their future and relevance to the political landscape is also inextricably linked to the purported change.
If the opposition claims that the government is treading the path of witch-hunt against them, it must have faith in the judiciary and have their leaders’ names cleared through a legitimate legal process rather than stoking it into a political issue and trying to create instability in the country which it can ill afford at the present juncture. It is better advised to use the forum of Parliament to debate the challenges confronting the country and firming up plausible strategies to tackle them, instead of wasting the time of the entire nation for the preservation of their vested interests.
The government has repeatedly made an offer for dialogue to the opposition parties on all national issues and reforms in the political system except accountability. I think nobody in his right mind can condone the conduct of the parties in the PDM to destabilize the country only to get away with their corruption unless proven otherwise in the courts of law. The situation also provides them a good opportunity to prove their claimed innocence. Political movements are unfurled for national causes and not to hedge corruption.
There is a national consensus on getting rid of the scourge of corruption. Political leaders and parties therefore must respect this consensus and make their contribution to the process of course correction. One thing is certain that the change set in motion has gained momentum and cannot be forestalled through pressure tactics.
Under the prevailing circumstances, the only way the opposition parties can salvage their prestige and image as national entities working for the common good is to abandon their agitation and allow the process of accountability to run its course. It will separate the wheat from the chaff, and if they have not committed any wrong as claimed by them, they will stand vindicated. The other better option for them is to engage the government in a dialogue for carrying out the required reforms which in certain cases would also require amendments to the Constitution. Because engagement is the name of the game. If they are really well wishers of the masses and aim at their good as vociferously professed by them, then they must support the process of change.
In a democratic dispensation it is a collective responsibility of the government and the opposition to ensure political stability in the country and contribute their bit to promoting the well-being of the masses. The path adopted by the PDM is decidedly inimical to national interests. It needs serious rethinking.
