Both President Pervez Musharraf's speech at his oath-taking ceremony and later his address to the nation on Thursday evening were indeed well-worded, abounding in sentimentality, but offered little in terms of showing the way out of the political uncertainty that has beset the country for the last so many months.
He did offer a 'level playing field' to Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and "all others", but what about the fact that quite a few members of the caretaker set-up who are supposed to guarantee transparency of elections, are party members of one of the stakeholders in the coming polls?
What to do with the Election Commission which in its present form is not acceptable to the opposition parties? And, why should the media remain gagged at the time when it can serve the democratic process best by offering its platform for the political debate?
Does anybody buy the argument that free media was fomenting terrorism? Then, the President offered to lift the state of emergency and rescind the Provisional Constitution Order 2007 (PCO) fifteen days from now. Why not from today? Is it because he would like to keep under watch his opponents' moves and manoeuvres till December 15, the last date by which it would be clear if they were going to boycott elections or not?
Do we really know what would he do in case the opposition stayed away from the polls? He has taken off his military uniform - thus scotching the possibility of imposing martial law - but has kept the power of lifting emergency rule. That leaves the question in the field: Is he finally ready to say farewell to his ambition to retain all power?
That is the tragic dimension of the ongoing 'facade' of transiting to real democracy. The scheming minds seem to be working overtime to create a charade of transferring power to the people. But they are sadly mistaken if they think they can continue with their business-as-usual machinations. Within minutes of President Musharraf's offer to lift emergency by December 16 the mainstream opposition alliance, the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), announced it would boycott the elections.
It also set up a committee which will get in touch with Pakistan People's Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to convince them of the imperative of not becoming part of electoral exercise set for January 8 next year. If the committee succeeds and the two join the APDM boycott, the outcome of the elections would have no credibility whatsoever.
If the committee fails in convincing the two or anyone of them, the final outcome would still be disputed. PPP has made clear that it would be going to elections 'with reservations'. Will it accept the results if these go against it? Surely it would join the APDM agitation which by then would be on the streets.
Time is running out for keeping the pot from boiling. Things have to be put on the right track, for consequences of failed elections would be too horrendous. Departing from the shadow of barrack masonry, the President would be doing a good himself and to us all the Pakistanis by taking the bold initiative of opening a dialogue with the APDM leadership.
He should convince them that elections without their participation would achieve nothing. Naturally at the table he would invite them to discuss the rehabilitation of judicial status quo ante which should be on the top of the agenda. There is no alternative to crossing this Rubicon.
The bilateral interlocutors may like to agree to join the electoral process with a clear understanding that the demand for rehabilitating the deposed judges would be put to a national referendum soon after the elections. Hopefully the 'Pakistan-first' approach can help them put aside egoistic attitudes and resolve this contentious issue.
And, this table for the dialogue has to be laid as soon as possible. Whatever has been done so far is too late and too little. The lingering uncertainty is already eating into the vitals of the national economy; its continuity would be lethal. The political leadership owes it to the 160 million Pakistanis to take them off this roller coaster of uncertainty by engaging in a serious dialogue, with flexibility in their hardened positions acting as catalyst for success.