By Muhammad Luqman
The ouster of Pakistan’s senior politician Muhammad Nawaz Sharif from the office of Prime Minister after Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict has once again created uncertain political situation in the South Asian country , ruled by the military dictators for half of its 70-year history.
In a country with a history of assassination of two prime ministers, execution of one, dismissals of several prime ministers, people are justified in worrying about continuation of the democratic system.
The inability of elected governments to deliver on promises is one of the major factors that fuels rumors and speculations about the possibility of yet another coup. But is that a justification for imposition of military rule in the multi-ethnic country, which must have representation of all communities for governance to be acceptable or viable.
A look at the history of the military rules and their costly implications clearly establishes the fact that martial law is not answer to Pakistan’s problems.
Pakistan’s British Parliamentary system of governance experienced first derailment only 11 years after the independence when the Commander In Chief General Ayub Khan imposed first martial in the country in October 1958. The first constitution of the country was abrogated by the military dictator just two years after its promulgation.
Then the military ruler came up with the second constitution of the country in the year 1962 that was of Presidential nature. According to constitutional analysts, the institution of President was like Faisalabad’s Clock Tower as for each and every decision one had to look towards President.
The unitary nature of the constitution not only deprived the nation of enjoying a bicameral system but also created a sense of deprivation in East Pakistan and even smaller provinces of the West Pakistan. The way under the military dictator East Pakistanis were ignored is a sad tale. The East wing of the country got first Bengali Chief Secretary in 1969, 22 years after Pakistan’s inception. It is generally believed that the the first ever general elections held in 1970 under one-man one vote system, led to the dismemberment of Pakistan.
But it was the autocratic rule of Ayub Khan that had all the seeds of destruction of a country just 24 years after its establishment. After the breakaway of East Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto tried to rebuild Pakistan and boosted the morale of the nation. During this period, Pakistan had its 1973 constitution that is still acceptable to all, although there have been a lot of amendments enacted since then.
But just after six years, another martial law was imposed by Chief of Army Staff, General Ziaul Haque by toppling the government of first popularly elected government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The second military government is considered responsible for radicalization of Pakistani society. Besides introduction of Klashnikov and narco cultures in Pakistani society also hit the nation at that time.
Zia ul Haque ruled Pakistan for 11 years by installing so-called democratic government of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo in the center and provincial governments after 1979 local council elections and 1985 party-less elections. It was the mysterious implosion of mangoes in the C-130 plane on August 17, 1988 that led to the end of second martial law in Pakistan.
During next 11 years, Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan People Party ruled the country in an atmosphere of confrontation. During this period, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto ruled the country two times each.
It was October 12, 1999 coup by Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf that ended the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The government of Mushrraf remained in place for about nine years and fell only after Lawyers’ movement and the entailing exit agreement between Musharraf and Pakistan People’s Party.
The 2008 Elections led to the triumph of Pakistan People’s Party at the center and PML (N) in Punjab, the biggest province of Pakistan. The PPP government was the first democratically elected government to complete a five-year constitutional tenure. But it remained dogged by energy crisis throughout its term.
In 2013 elections, the PML (N) came into power in the center, Punjab and Balochistan provinces. Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces had PPP and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf governments respectively. The PTI of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan gave tough time to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for about four years.
During the summer of 2014, the PTI besieged the Parliament House and Prime Minister’s House for more than three months. They were joined by Canada-based cleric, Dr. Tahirul Qadri.
However, in April 2016, the scandal of PanamaLeaks unearthed and country’s apex court declared Nawaz Sharif disqualified from holding any public office on July 28 this year. Over the last two months, the country has been ruled by a new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. This uncertain situation is going to last till the new general elections in June next year. It is the high time that politicians should exhibit responsible bheaviour so that democracy could take roots like other countries of the region.
