Altaf Hussain’s statement
by
Javed Hafiz |
In a recent address to his followers in Pakistan, the London-based Muhajir leader Altaf Hussain appealed for a “martial law like intervention by patriotic generals against corrupt feudals and landlord politicians.” This statement was roundly condemned by all major political parties in Pakistan. So hard was the criticism that the MQM leaders are now trying to put a different spin on this statement. They say Altaf has not asked for a martial law. Interestingly, the reaction in the Pakistani streets is not so much anti-Altaf. Common Pakistani thinks that the country deserves a break from corrupt politicians, by whatever means possible.
It may be worthwhile to look into the causes that may have prompted this statement. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that Altaf leads from London so effectively is fighting a turf war in Karachi. MQM is a coalition partner of People’s Party in Islamabad and Karachi. But love-hate relationship between the two is well known. The most effective operation against MQM was launched during the second tenure of Benazir government. While the MQM and ANP (a Pashtun nationalist party) fight pitched battles in Karachi, the senior partner PPP tries to play the role of a neutral umpire. This irks both combatants and each one of them had called for military intervention in Karachi. Interestingly, Karachi is the largest Pashtun city today, with larger Pashtun population than Peshawar or Kabul . MQM feels threatened on its home ground.
MQM, which started in mid-1980s as a party of ethnic exclusivism, has learnt the art of survival. It is a highly disciplined party of middle class background. Most of its workers are educated and politically active. Over the years, MQM has also learnt that its survival depended on remaining in the governments. It was a coalition partner of Nawaz Sharif in the 1990s. It had a cozy relationship with Musharraf and was part of his government and now it is a coalition partner of the People’s Party. And as this statement shows, MQM is also trying hard to get closer to the Pakistani establishment.
If this statement was aimed at embarrassing the president and the prime minister and their party, it has succeeded to an extent. However, the most furious reaction came from the Muslim League (N). Both MQM and Muslim League (N) have entered privilege motions against each other in the Parliament. It is widely believed that the ruling party with its lackluster performance, poor governance, high inflation, economic mismanagement and corrupt practices has invited a wake-up call which has been conveyed through the MQM. This call would be effective to some extent as MQM support is vital at the centre and in Sindh.
Each period of military rule in Pakistan has created more problems than it has solved. And Pakistani armed forces have traditionally supported the status quo forces in society. Pakistan army was never a revolutionary brigade. So when Altaf Hussain seeks military help to fight feudalism in Pakistan, he is sadly mistaken. Each military ruler, in search of political legitimacy, has sought support of feudal lords. For Ayub Khan, it was Nawab of Kalabagh and for Musharraf, Chaudry Shujaat Hussain. Those who have read Ayesha Siddiqa’s book Army Inc. know about its corporate interests, even though some of the facts and figures quoted by the writer are debatable.
Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), an active NGO, called Altaf Hussain’s statement unfortunate. It added that the only way to get better leadership was to continue with the democratic process. PML leader Ahsan Iqbal called this statement ‘insult to democracy.’ A recent web page called Altaf “an absconding don of Karachi.”
I personally think that the military rule is no solution to Pakistan’s problems. What Pakistan needs is democracy which is accountable. The process of accountability has started with an alert media and free judiciary. It is indeed sad that the present government has actually weakened the institutions responsible for accountability. It has been sitting on the new accountability law for a long time now. But in doing so, it is trying to swim against the tide of our times. No government can escape accountability now.
It is worth probing as to why the common man sees a ray of hope in Altaf ‘s call. This is because his hopes have been dumped by a political party which was supposed to be pro-poor. So when the common man supports Altaf’s demand he actually expresses his no-confidence in the Zardari-led regime and not necessarily democracy. He is despondent and feels betrayed by the leaders he voted for.
As for the armed forces, they have done a great job in flood relief effort soon after tremendous achievements against extremists. They enjoy a lot of good will now which I am sure they will not like to fritter away by biting Altaf’s bait. And if Altaf was so patriotic, he would have been sitting with his followers in problem-stricken Karachi today than in comfortable environs of London.
(Javed Hafiz is Pakistan’s former ambassador to the Sultanate)
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