Pakistan's Agonized Choices
What a blighted, benighted, conflicted, dynasty-driven and riven failure of a country Pakistan represents. There are failures, and there are failures.And Pakistan's failure as a democratic country, riven by its wish to be ruled in a secular manner, supported by a large majority of its urban population, viewing themselves as urbane and law-abiding, as opposed to the pathologically-driven religious fanatics seeking to ultimately empower themselves into governance has resulted in utter civil collapse.
The unrest seen in Pakistan today just another manifestation of the inner rot so long infecting all the instruments of government and the institutions upon which civil society depends. In a population passionate about their religion, their society, their country; prideful of their technology in advancing to nuclear weaponry alone among Islamic countries, yet mindful of how they appear as fractious and financially ruined, they continue to wreak disorder and dissent.
One might imagine that the great aggregation of educated, professional and middle-class within the population might advocate for more responsible government and invest their energy in providing respectable political alternate candidates for executive office. Instead, two convicted criminals vie with one another for the presidency; one prevailed, and the other continues to agitate to unseat him.
Which of the two is more injurious to the fate of the country, a light-fingered and exuberant playboy extending his wife's inheritance to the presidency, or another pocket-liner who espouses an executive representing fundamentalist Islam? It was the secular one who gave his blessing to fanatic sharia law among the Taliban-held
NorthWest Frontier; it will be the fundamentalist who will extend it within.
Former President Musharraf who, fearing the demands of Chief Justice Chaudhry's decision that the head of the military could not remain as president, unseated him. It was President Asif Zardari who reneged on his agreement with Nawaz Sharif, the one-time president, to reinstate Justice Chaudhry. Bringing out, once again, the country's hordes of lawyers in revolt.
Another about-turn for President Zardari, and personal fears for prosecution set aside, Justice Chaudhry is now reinstated. In the interim, Mr. Sharif successfully curried favour in aligning himself with both the protesting lawyers and the rampaging Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party. What's wrong with the country's judiciary and its lawyers, and its civil society?
Are they completely unaware of how close their country is to finally succumbing to sharia law? Then their precious democratic rights will be entirely forfeit. Then the instability of their relations with India and Afghanistan will be utterly destabilized. Bringing them, however, closer to Iran, aspiring to attain to what Pakistan already has and may in future share with it.
Labels: Political Realities, Religion, Troublespots, World Crises
posted by Pieface @ Monday, March 16, 2009
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