Sanaullah speaks with conviction

Head of PPP Media Cell
Rana Sanaullha, Law Minister of Punjab government, has called a spade a spade no matter how cutting it may be for the party hawks or for the political dwarfs. But, he has spoken quite clearly with conviction that all the institutions should work within the ambit of the Constitution as deviation will be a mutually destructive endeavour inexorably. He also appreciably said it was not the responsibility of Rangers to curb white-collar crimes suggesting casting aspersions on the provincial government was unwarranted on their part. His comments are wrapped in legality and far-sightedness and should be understood as such. Rangers have been deployed in Karachi to assist the civil administration in the defined areas and beyond that they have no mandate and therefore should desist from assuming the expanded role at their own initiative. Rangers’ press release was a step in the area that did not commensurate with their charter of duties. The Rangers are deployed at the request of the provincial government to assist it and not to pass judgment on its performance.
The primary law of the land clearly defines the role of each and every institution and creeping into the domains of others is against the Constitution, and its pursuit indeed tantamount to asphyxiating the objectives of the Constitution. Some writers including bureaucrats are rearing their heads again in support of the unfortunate tendency fueled by their wolf’s instinct hoping to make a kill in order to get their pound of flesh. Their obsession for power has no limit without caring for the legitimacy of the means and the ends. They will not jettison these inclinations till the lease of life lengthens. But, the maturity of the majority of the politicians gained through the hard way will, undoubtedly, throw cold water on their insidious wishes. The news those came out from the Iftar dinner hosted by the former president Asif Ali Zardari, in Islamabad, were very reassuring as the participant reportedly favoured the politics of reconciliation and its continuity no matter what.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari has not challenged the Pakistan Army and its incumbent leadership in any way and instead has appreciated their role against terrorists who are posing formidable challenge to the security of the country and our way of life. He, in fact, abhorred the usurpers of the past who wrought irreparable losses on the nation as stated by Qamar Zaman Kaira while talking to media after the Iftar dinner. It may be recalled, the successful Sawat Operation during the PPP government and now Zarb-e-Azb have earned the appreciations both at home and abroad. The political leadership’s support for the army to fight out the terrorism is critical to make qualitative difference to subdue the faceless enemy. No army can win war without the support of the people and those who represent them. PPP co-chairman simply warned of the dangerous prognosis of the distraction because it was bound to divide the nation, and the army cannot unscathed itself from the negative fallout that will be surely detrimental to the ongoing operation against militants and their patrons. He cautioned to see the writing on the wall because the environment of confrontation generated by the incremental tendency of stepping into other’s domain will not auger well for the country and indeed for the security establishment itself.
Externally, it has the potential to disgruntle the foreign investors at the end of the day leading to contravening the prospects of growth in the country’s economy. The golden opportunity like the Chinese massive investment destined to change the fate of the nation for good may slip away at the altar of the infighting of the institutions in their bid to sublime but will descend to triviality inevitably. It will also mirror the aridity of our sense of proportion. The spoilers, within and without, will have the last laugh of pushing the country down to the slippery slope. He also pointed out that the Indian spy agency, (RAW), was deeply involved in Balochistan and other parts of the country to destabilise it to paralysis as also stated by the government and the army spokesmen.
But, those who are determined will spare no effort in drawing wedge between the political leadership and the security establishment in order to damage the political process in the country. Their game plan should be understood fully well — by the state institutions and the politicians in order to deprive the opponents from the opportunity of fishing in the resultant troubled waters. They, in their tainted juggernaut, resorted to highlight the segments of the former president’s speech in their own perspective. In fact, these were pieces of advice from an elderly and experienced figurehead suggesting watch out. His caution should not be deciphered as threat or offence because the full text of his speech consist no grain of such impression for the fair mind.
Those who hate to see Pakistan progressing on the trajectory of peace, progress and prosperity would make a mountain out of a molehill. They must be taken to task with the requisite modicum of equanimity and adroitly on the part of sane political leadership because the future of democracy and indeed of the country is at stake.
As mentioned earlier, Central Information Secretary of PPP Qamar Zaman Kaira, Senator Farhat Ullha Babar and Senator Sherry Rehman, in their press briefings have made it clear that the co-chairman was only emphasising the dire need of functioning of all institutions within their prescribed limits as defined in the Constitution. Construing other meanings to his speech was indeed reflection of the wishful thinking of the proponents of the doomsday scenario. They also regretted that the positives of the speech were down played deliberately and while good intentioned advice was blown up out of proportion and out of the context in their projections with conclusions resonating with their own liking.
The anti-democratic forces have not abandoned their old agenda and they are after it with vengeance again and again whenever they see a chink in the armory of public representation edifice. Though their prospects of succeeding are incrementally shrinking but their old and bad habits refuse to die down because of their obduracy and the compulsive mischief mongering proclivity. These hard core criminals working against the aspirations of the people of Pakistan need to be dispatched to the final abode of degradation and decomposition by subjecting them to the revenge of democracy. It is heartening to mention that the people and the politicians know it that only democracy holds the bright future for the country as all other models have failed and failed miserably and the history of the country’s government and politics is testimony to it.
It brings us to the leadership role of the federal government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It should take immediate initiative to bring back the harmony among all the institutions and stakeholders because in the resultant void and the magnitude of the challenges the country is embroiled in will overtake the nation. The pall of despondency and helplessness will hang all over the country. It is therefore imperative to move sooner than later to rectify the situation and thereafter to concentrate on the national agenda with consensus to defeat the evil. Getting to each other’s throats is self-defeating exercise. The international community is watching us. We should behave like an honourable nation capable of resolving issues in democratic manners based on collective wisdom and national interests.
The international community will be extremely beholden to Pakistani people when they will succeed in inflicting humiliating defeat on terrorists who are perceived as a serious threat to the peace and security of the world as well.
The cancellation of the scheduled meeting between the prime minister and the former president was not appreciated by the people generally. He stood with him in difficult times to save democracy and as a consequence saved PML-N government from crumbling down under the pressure of the sit-in politics. Prime minister should have met the opposition leader of the second largest party in the Parliament for the sake of standing on the right side of the equation. His meeting would have given him the requisite leverage to defuse the situation for creating a win win environment. In this background, it also became difficult for the PPP leadership to invite him on the Iftar dinner. However, this undesirable impasse should not last longer and the prime minister should take initiative as early as possible because the parting of the ways will harm the cause of the democratic system for which the political leadership of all hues is so fond of due its co-relationship with a democratic, pluralistic and tolerant Pakistan. It is the fundamental responsibility of the top political leadership to steer the ship of democracy, surely and subtly, in the desired directions because the country cannot afford it derailment.
The spokespersons of the party re-emphasised this dimension quite candidly because all the national embarrassments were inflicted on the country during dictators’ watch. All wars were fought during their despicable eras as mentioned by the prime minister recently, which is correct. The aftermaths of such adventures had already taken the toll in many forms and manifestations. The royal political and economic mess in the country today is the reminiscent of successive dictatorships.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com