For a stable Pakistan, free and fair elections must be held
https://arab.news/25qw3
Pakistan at present is facing a major national crisis that even by its own checkered history, is one of its worst. Politics has become personalized while the economy is in deep distress. A country of over 240 million people, strategically located and nuclear armed with a strong conventional force, remains heavily dependent on the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, allies and other agencies to keep it financially afloat.
All the while, our finance minister is in a state of denial and consistently fails to negotiate a deal with the IMF, while relying it seems, on friendly countries to bail Pakistan out.
No doubt, the precarious state of the economy is a result of the mismanagement of successive governments-- civil and military-- spread over years, but this is all the more reason to deal with the crisis upfront as a national emergency, and to deal with the IMF and other agencies with finesse.
Here too the political leadership is sharply divided. It would have of course been prudent if Imran Khan, the opposition leader and former prime minister, had focused on participating in major national issues especially in the Parliament. In doing so, they could have settled on certain broad parameters of economy so that irrespective of which party is in power, there is continuity in pursuing long term goals. Moreover, ever since Khan’s ouster through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, there has been widespread unrest.
A combination of political uncertainty, a lack of focus on governance and weak leadership has adversely impacted an already emaciated economy. With Khan’s party practically decimated and senior members having deserted it literally in hordes, the future looks grim for him. Having been placed in isolated confinement, Khan has been giving feelers of being ready to talk to the army leadership-- but there are no takers.
No doubt, the precarious state of the economy is a result of the mismanagement of successive governments-- civil and military-- spread over years, but this is all the more reason to deal with the crisis upfront as a national emergency.
Talat Masood
The current crisis is comprehensive, with major national institutions, the judiciary, parliament, bureaucracy, media and others on occasion straying away from their constitutional obligations, and experiencing serious internal divisions.
The central question is how to normalize the situation in these adverse circumstances. The most obvious answer is to hold elections for the national and provincial assemblies, but Pakistan Muslim League-N’s (PML-N) leaders and coalition partners realize they have meagre chances of winning, and so, are deliberately delaying them on one pretext or the other.
The attempt by certain rogue elements in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) to create a state of anarchy as a reaction to Khan’s court cases and initial arrest has backfired, with the army leadership firmly determined to restore order. The country needs civilian leadership that removes fissures and takes the country towards a steady course and orderly path. For this, leaders will have to devise distinctive strategies and good governance. That leadership is clearly missing and unlikely to emerge in the near future unless there are fair and free elections at regular intervals in accordance with the constitution.
Other national weaknesses such as rampant corruption and a serious moral failing seriously impacts efficiency in the economy. While many South Asian countries have moved to higher levels of development and employ modern systems of manufacturing and established credible financial services to facilitate investment and growth, Pakistan continues to lag behind.
What future lies ahead for a more democratic and economically sound Pakistan depends on the policies pursued and implemented by the government of today and of the future. It is for the people to choose their leaders-- those with the potential to steer Pakistan in the right direction.
- Talat Masood is a retired Lieutenant General from Pakistan Army and an eminent scholar on national security and political issues.
