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December 2009 has come and gone amidst uncertainties that were speculated to threaten the power base in Islamabad and much was made of the forecast. Officialdom reacted strongly, angrily, and repeatedly. TV brought us al that faithfully.
In conjunction with terrorism hits that Pakistan weathered, the political storm and the undercurrents that the ordinary people now understand, the month was trying and stressful, to say the least.
Now January 2010 is here and the graph of uncertainty, (mild word really) or the anxiety that the ruling party and the official corridors are experiencing is being reflected, not only in the speeches of the President (which we have heard with some shock as well) but also down the line. There is a confrontation that is perceptible and it is evident even in the mild mannered Nawaz Sharif, whose softness of tone and the moderation of language in recent weeks in particular have been unable to conceal fully the impatience that he has on themes like corruption and the NRO. He will not give in.
And that is where the crux of the problem lies. Indeed, the people of Pakistan have at last not only realised how much harm the corruption have done to the country, but now as a result of the independent superior judiciary, the changed political ambience, and the exit of another military dictatorship, and of course a media that is willing to dare with consistency, the names of the defaulters and those who have plundered the country have been made public. Not enough, perhaps, but a beginning has been made.
I am glad that the names of the privileged people who were allegedly favoured in LPG quotas, after getting OGRA licenses has been announced in detail on the TV channels on Wednesday night. These names were presented to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) earlier in the day. This is, indeed, a new beginning that is being made - the naming of people who have been done favours or whatever. Public opinion had tired of being denied details of who was allegedly corrupt and who made how much money.
Now that January is here it is not just a new year that has begun, but also another decade. What kind of a decade lies ahead as far as Pakistan is concerned? With the way the day to day economic problems of the common man are growing, and squeezing his domestic budgets further, the question that is being asked is on a short term basis.
That was evident in a way in a Geo News programme (Capital Talk) on Wednesday night on the subject of gas load management being carried out in Punjab and the NWFP - and there were live bitter comments from ordinary people who were in long queues for CNG at CNG stations.
They were not interested in themes like the NRO or the 17th amendment debate, and said what they immediately wanted were affordable prices for gas, electricity, sugar and so on. How the government was to solve the problem, was the government's problem - and argued that it was governmental mismanagement and corruption that had brought Pakistan to this stage of failure.
What was vital was the communication of their impatience, disgust, disappointment and unbridled anger, as they spoke into the TV cameras. All this, in conjunction with the political environment in the land, and factors like terrorism and anti-American public opinion, and the hidden hands of either the assorted intelligence agencies or India from across the border drive one to ask what kind of stability lies ahead, for the present system. Significantly no one, including the President is willing to indicate convincingly who is engineering the instability in the land.
Missing persons: The subject of missing persons in the country, which has been tormenting and agonising not just concerned and affected families has also been traumatising the people of Pakistan in subconscious ways. The message that comes from missing people, remaining untraced is that in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 62 years after its creation, it is possible to end up in a list of missing people.
A possibility could be that the citizen is dead, or has been transported overseas as a part of the deal that Pakistan is in, as it carries on a US supported, motivated war against terrorism. The controversy on this count, is one that the media keeps in mind all the time.
One needs to mention the case of Dr Afia Siddiqui, which is regularly focused and reported in the media, and the public waits to see the outcome of the proceedings in her case. How she was compelled to leave Pakistan, and under what circumstances, is something that causes the deepest concern, obviously.
Once again the subject of missing persons was in the news, with reference to the proceedings of a three member bench of the Supreme Court that is hearing the applications of some 45 missing persons. No comment, really. But keep the figure of forty-five in mind. 45 people, Pakistanis all, and no trace in Pakistan. That is the official picture.
And take into account, in the midst of all the controversies there are about the government and the system that we have, what has been said by Justice Javed Iqbal - who underlined that "the incumbent government has completely failed to fulfil its duties regarding missing persons" and that "such cases can pose a threat to democracy". He further said that "I wonder how democracy was jeopardised all of a sudden, the judges are as patriotic as anyone else, and have rendered more sacrifices for democracy than many others".
The Supreme Court judge reportedly said (in this daily of 6th January) that "the issue of Balochistan cannot resolved merely by announcements and offering jobs, the Prime Minister promised the Baloch that the missing persons would begin returning soon after the conclusion of his speech and yet the promise remains unfulfilled till today". Justice Sair Ali said that "the issue of missing persons was of more significance than that of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)". Indeed, there is much to contemplate in this observation.
On Wednesday afternoon, (possibly in Midday News, Aaj News ) which is a compact, rather comprehensive news show that puts it all together from the point of view of the average interested viewer at that point in time in the day) there was something very important that was reported from the Supreme Court.
It was said that Justice Javed Iqbal had observed that the entire system in the country was in a state of chaos (Darham Barham in Urdu) and it appeared that no institution or organisation was functioning properly and efficiently. There was more about what the Judge said and it seemed to reflect the perception and opinion that the common man has about the way Pakistan lives today.
Politicking for polls: There are so many political themes that the news and current affairs channels have these days - and their number and variety is growing. Perhaps it has something to do with the awareness that is growing in this society, and TV channels have played an extremely influential role in educating people, and shaping opinion and attitude. And keep in mind that all this is happening in Pakistan 2010.
There is much to reflect on this subject of Pakistani TV channels and the state of politics, and the resultant political culture, which would present a very revealing and even surprising scenario when it comes to election time. One mentions elections not just because next month (24th) there are finally scheduled the by-elections to NA 55, but also because the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also referred to the "next polls" without mentioning when.
And one may also take notice of what the Punjab Governor Salman Taseer has said on Tuesday - that Prime Minister Gilani will be there for another term, after which Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the PPP Chairman will be the Prime Minister and who will complete two terms. In a strange sort of way elections are being mapped out for the next two decades or so?
One may also beard in mind that among the changes that are being anticipated there is the proposal that the restriction on being Prime Minister for a third term should be lifted, implying thereby that Nawaz Sharif could be in the run. That, the PML-N chief, on Tuesday evening in his press conference brushed aside the third term provision and said that it did not matter is a point to note.
It is interesting to wonder what all this means to the people of Pakistan, as they hear all these references to the next elections that will be held in the country. That there are also repeated references and cross references to mid-terms polls, amidst denials and clarifications as to their justifications.
The ruling party has one clear view, which is the completion of a five-year term and the opposition parties insinuate that a need for mid-term polls could actually surface, as grave political uncertainties in the country are growing the performance of the government thoroughly questionable when it comes to improving the life of the common man, within a terrorism war which only raises many times the levels of insecurity across the country.
All this is happening mostly if not entirely on our news and current affairs TV channels, that is to suggest that there is an ongoing debate that is absorbing, engaging, disturbing, and even dangerous. In some ways, the government is intimidating sections of the mainstream media, as if it is a forerunner of what lies ahead.
One has in mind the pressures on the Geo News, and the Jang Group, and the confrontation between the government and the media group is on, threatening what, one wonders? In the context of the next elections, what the Prime Minister has said needs to be thought about.
He has categorically stated that the PPP will not contest the next elections if the promises made this time remain unfulfilled. This is something serious and needs to be kept track of. Whether his statement will stand the test of political time and the variables of politics in the country is something that I do not hold any brief for. I do not know why I am reminded of the election promises that military dictators like Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf made or even the others like Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan made.
How all this has dented the credibility factor in Pakistan is so obvious. Public distrust of public statements and official rhetoric remains pathetically low. How it can be remedied at all, one leaves to time, and to this society's ability to stand up and deliver, and demonstrate an integrity that is woefully absent. We are almost non-existent when it comes to performance and deliverabilitty.
I am not talking of the scandalous sugar prices in the past year and the ambiguous promise of its availability that lies ahead - or the hollow loadshedding promises of Raja Parvez Ashraf, the Water and Power Minister. That he remains one of the most seen ministers on TV channels is another issue. Rehman Malik takes number one position, and that reflects the law and order situation in the country.
I cannot resist mentioning what the Prime Minister has said about the next polls, whenever they are o be held. He said categorically in Islamabad on Monday, while talking to the media that the PPP would not contest the next elections if its present promises to the people remain unfulfilled after a five year tenure. This is statement that needs to be kept track of for so many reasons.
Will the PPP be able to stand by this statement (read commitment) when the time comes? Of course what the Prime Minister is stressing is the completion of a five year term. All this in a context where there is an unspecified and unexplained apprehension vis-à-vis President Zardari who has said very bluntly that there are forces out to derail democracy and the system. This too, is a theme that has a very high profile on the channels.
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Copyright Business Recorder, 2010

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