The panacea for a lame democracy, as the hackneyed phrase puts it, “is more democracy.” And we have just seen ten years of “more democracy” complete its term of office. And what has that left us with?
— timed almost to perfection, with the end of this tenure, are empty national coffers on account of ruthless plunder by those elected and sworn to probity and safeguarding of national interest.
— the destruction of the civil service, the police, and indeed every institution responsible for governance. The only two institutions to have been spared the ravages visited on the others are the higher judiciary and the army, and this was not for any lack of will on the part of the “democrats” but because of the counter-will on part of these institutions to keep standing.
This “democracy” could achieve these results only because it was so patently a marriage of evil between Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif and their bridesmaids in the form of Asfandyar Wali, Mulla Fazal, and Achakzai etc. This union was formalized by the ” Charter of Democracy” and then further reinforced by the 18nth Amendment. This removed all practical checks and balances on the powers of this criminal duo, leaving the state and its people at their mercy, of which none was forthcoming.
Well before the term of office of PMLN was complete, those who wanted to see it, could see disaster loom on Pakistan’s economic horizon. The only way out was rule by national emergency, preferably by a national government, but this door was slammed shut by the 18nth Amendment. Pakistan was thus being led to catastrophe hobbled and shackled with no hope of reprieve.
The only possibility of reprieve lay with the de facto guardians of our national security–the army. They should have knocked at the doors of the Supreme Court and asked for an in- camera hearing to elucidate how the economic hollowing out of the country posed a far greater threat to the security of the state than any number of enemy divisions massed on its borders.
But this did not happen because the two Army Chiefs during whose watch this was happening were asleep at the wheel. One of them [ Kayani] was in cahoots with Zardari, while the other [Raheel Sharif] did not have the courage to look the approaching disaster in the face, and was anyhow too busy angling for promotion to Field Marshal. Either way, not recognizing the potency of the economic dimension of warfare, whether it was for lack of competence, personal interest, or sheer lack of courage, was a criminal lapse. As far as the effects of this on the state are concerned, this was equal in criminality to the egregious evil perpetrated upon Pakistan by Zardari and Nawaz Sharif and their cohorts.
The time has now come for the people of Pakistan to pay for the fruits of ten years of “democracy” unrestrained by check or balance. The time for the deluge is here. Let no one have any doubt whatever, that the only way to run the country will now be to print money to get by. The more money that is printed, the more its value must fall. And the more it falls, the more the need to print more. This will break the back of the country. But it will first break the back of the salaried class including the army. the only large organization still functional and on which so much depends.
We are going to get into a vicious inflationary spiral. What must follow in its wake is the destabilization of society that has never been known by our people before. The insecurities spawned will be huge. It is in conditions like these that crime soars, suicides become epidemic, mothers sell their children, and fathers begin pimping their daughters.
We have been brought to this state by ravenous hunger and greed of the powerful which is beyond being sated or checked by fear of God or of the law of man. People like Zardari and Nawaz Sharif have dredged Pakistan of all that is of value. Of this stolen wealth has been stashed abroad, and all the rest torn to shreds. They are traitors to this land which they have taken to the brink of extinction.
The survival of the state should be the first order of business for those who wield power on behalf of the state. Good governance should now be allocated the priority that it has never enjoyed before. For this the first thing that needs to be done is to build back the bureaucracy, the police, and every other institution destroyed by the robber barons. But none of this can be done without first getting back Pakistan’s looted billions.
This therefore should be made the first priority. But none of this can be done without the state employing emergency powers, because the state has clearly been overwhelmed by criminals. The C.J and his brother Justices can only do so much.
Unfortunately, most of those we number among our “elite” are also a part of our criminal elite. And unless this elite begins to fear the writ of law, no progress can be made towards getting our country back.
To begin with, it is about time the state stopped fearing what a Zardari or a N.S will do. It is the state that should be the entity that is “doing”, while it is the thieves who should be soiling their pants. All those who have a general reputation for having stolen national wealth should be put on ECL, while all exit and entry points in the country are strictly manned. Then all those against whom prima facie evidence of corruption exists should be put in jail, pending trial.
The only care to take is that these people be given C class while in jail. Classes A and B in jail can only be given to those not involved in crimes of “moral turpitude”. It is about time that plunder of national wealth also be defined as such. It is my bet that those used to sleeping on a stomach filled to bursting on stolen morsels, while the AC runs uninterruptedly to clear the room of their leaking flatulence, will not be too happy to learn first-hand how a common Pakistani usually lives. This is something which C class in jail will teach them. It is my guess that well before their investigations are completed, these patriots will begin begging to be parted from their loot.
Very hard days lie ahead in wait for us. If we are to have any realistic chance of facing up to them, it is absolutely vital to foresee what is coming. For only then can we plan to meet and tame this monster. Already we are late by years.