All’s fair in politics
by
Javed Hafiz |
The aim is to capture power and ends justify the means
While the nation was in a state of shock for the breach of its sovereignty on May 2, the ruling Peoples Party was cobbling a political alliance with its arch rivals of yesteryears, the Chaudhries of Gujrat. Their faction of Muslim League, which was created and nurtured by Musharaf, was seen joining the federal cabinet. It appeared as if fire was embracing water! But both had clear objectives in mind. The Peoples Party was sick and tired of the Mutehidda Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) blackmailing. It was also not sure about a mustering majority vote to get the federal budget passed this June. The Muslim League, a bunch of opportunists, wanted power as life support. More urgently, Moonis Elahi, son of the former Punjab chief minister, had to be rescued from corruption charges, come what may.
The late Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, the founder of this political family, was quite a character. Before the partition, he was a head constable with Punjab Police. After independence, he started his own business and was a success story. His political stature rose simultaneously. He first supported and then parted ways with Ayub Khan. In 1970’s, he emerged as an arch rival of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. After Bhutto went to the gallows, he somehow got the pen with which the judges had signed the decision. He would show this pen to his friends proudly. This was in real bad taste. But then the Punjabis are known to be good friends and stubborn enemies. I know this as I belong to this bunch. Choudhry Zahoor Elahi was killed in 1980s by a terrorist belonging to Al Zulfikar. But political needs can turn arch enemies into some sort of friends, as we saw last week.
In 2006, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir signed the Charter of Democracy undertaking to defend democracy and oppose dictatorship together. The next year, the Peoples Party was seen entering into a power-sharing deal with Musharraf, in exchange for the infamous National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). This ordinance cleaned many a sin. The present political deal between Zardari and the Choudhries is being dubbed as another NRO. Gone are the days of lofty political ideals and impeccable integrity. Politics today is the art of wheeling and dealing for power.
Like love and war, all is fair in politics too. The aim is to capture power and ends justify the means. Power can be a ruthless game. In 1950, young Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sent to the United Nations to represent Pakistan in the Law of Seas Conference. This young barrister was highly ambitious. Iskander Mirza, who does not have any prominent place in Pakistani political history and had risen to power through palace intrigues, was then the president of Pakistan. Bhutto wrote a letter to the president which is making rounds on the Internet these days. In this letter Bhutto said,” When the history of our country is written by the objective historians, your name will be written even before Jinnah”. Later on, we witness the same Bhutto heap similar praise on Ayub Khan and then rebel against him, at the opportune moment. General Zia Ul Haq deferred to prime minister Bhutto as no other army chief did. But it did not take him long to topple Bhutto and assume power himself.
Zardari, despite his educational limitations, is a politician par excellence. Bhutto’s political ghost is still alive in Pakistan. They say there are two kinds of votes in Pakistan, for Bhutto and anti Bhutto. A bulk of the anti Bhutto vote goes to the Muslim League. By aligning the Muslim League (Q) with Peoples Party, Zardari has ensured the Nawaz Sharif’s League does not get all the anti-Bhutto votes. The Muslim League (Q) has also been promised some seats during the Senate elections early next year. Aware that its nuisance value had now been reduced, the MQM has rejoined the cabinet. This party has co-habited with Musharraf, Muslim Leagues of both hues and the Peoples Party. It is a coalition partner in Karachi as well. While working quite comfortably with all kinds of feudal lords, it keeps raising slogans against them as well!
The left, right and liberal, conservative divides are all blurred today. No wonder, taking a cue from the leaders, the clever voter also gives one vote to a leftist party and the other to the rightist one. For him, they are the same, running single-mindedly after power. He does not mind that as long as the elected leaders help him in the government offices. So why vote for a party that is likely to stay in opposition?
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