Acting irresponsibly

by Dr Masooda Bano

Prime Minister Gilani has acted wisely to help reduce the tension between the judiciary and President Zardari. The government has given in to the demands of the judiciary and has conceded that senior judges should be appointed in accordance with the advice of the chief justice. The hype that resulted from President Zardari’s sudden move on Saturday to appoint senior judges to the Lahore high court in direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, as well as the responses from the oppositions both indicate display of irresponsible behaviour. It is still less than two years that political parties came back to power after eight years of Musharraf rule but it is clear that they are already forgetting the lessons as well as their pledges.

If there was one good outcome towards the end of Musharraf rule, it was the growing recognition within the political parties that they need to stand together if they are to consolidate democracy in the country. The Charter of Democracy signed by the two main parties, the PPP and the PML-N, pledged to prioritise institutionalisation of the democratic process over pursuit of short-term political interests. They pledges that, rather than undermining each other and siding with the establishment to get one party out of power, they will prefer to give each other a fair chance at running the state affairs and would stand by each other to minimise chances of military take over in future. It is true that it is the PPP, which first deviated from the Charter of Democracy and it is also true that President Zardari soon lost the trust of the opposition and the public by his habitual behaviour of defaulting on major commitments such as reinstatement of the senior judges.

However, to start calling Zardari the biggest threat to democracy, as was done by Nawaz Sharif amid the recent tension between the judiciary and the PPP, is also risky. Taking such a personalised approach to politics will again undermine the political parties as a whole and create justification for another intervention for the military. This for sure will not be a healthy development. President Zardari might be involved in cases of corruption, and might abuse public power, but he can by no means be a bigger threat to democracy in Pakistan than a military general staging a coup. This response of the PML-N to the recent crisis is thus worrying, as it suggests a reversion back to very personalised politics rather than politics of principles.

The Sharif brothers had undoubtedly gained a great deal of public respect in the last period of the Musharraf regime by standing steadfastly with the lawyers in the demand for reinstatement of the senior judges. Even after the 2008 election, Nawaz Sharif definitely stayed committed to many important issues. The party’s decision to withdraw from the coalition government when President Zardari used delaying tactics regarding reinstatement of the judges and repeal of the 17th Amendment all won the party and its leadership popular respect. It is therefore disappointing to see the party slip back to politics of personal vendetta. The Sharif brothers had promised that they have risen above that and the public appreciated them for this. To retain their image of being committed to greater public good, it is important that they refrain from making statements that risk marginalising the political process and give the military an excuse to again disrupt the political process.

As for President Zardari, his erratic behaviour and sudden moves, such as the decision to impose governor’s rule in Punjab at one point or later his attempt to appoint senior judges without consultation of the chief justice, are definitely worrying. They show a tendency for highly irresponsible behaviour, which is driven purely by his personal interests rather than those of the democratic process. This raises questions about his advisors as well as his own credentials. The PPP as a party has completely failed to present a vision of development forget about actually implementing one.

The party and its senior leadership, including President Zardari, indeed need to be put under pressure to deliver to the public. The opposition certainly needs to play a role in that as does the media. However, it is important to build this pressure in a way that creates pressure on the government to deliver rather than creating opportunities for the military to once again disrupt the democratic process. The balance between fighting for democracy and playing into the hands of the military has to carefully worked out.