A series of unbelievably inept decisions by high ups in and outside the government, in the past weeks, were crowned at the start of the week just ended, by the ridiculous way in which volleyball was played with the ISI, one of the most vital and sensitive of our national security organisations.
Asif Zardari and Rehman Malik the de facto rulers of the country, both unelected, were quite happy with the announced move to transfer the organisation to the ministry of interior under Rehman Malik which was reportedly reversed within hours. Did they know so little about the implications of the unprecedented move, that they did not think it necessary to discuss it with any of the stakeholders involved? The coalition allies knew nothing about it. Neither was the subject brought up before the parliament, nor even apparently was the cabinet given the opportunity to discuss it.
Does it not make every one nervous about our decision making process and what else it might spring up to further tarnish the image of the country? The fiasco has been endlessly discussed in the media but it is still not clear as to what was the great idea behind the move. Was it to please America on the eve of the visit of our worthy Prime Minister to meet its President, was the most commonly asked question? To add to the confusion, doubts are being raised about whether the announcement of the transfer still stands and is not technically withdrawn by the "clarification" issued apparently reversing it!
The incident follows a series of inept and improper acts of commission and omission starting with the fiasco of the by election postponement which hurt the credibility of Mr Rehman Malik rather badly. Then there was the CNG price increase announcement by the honourable Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which caused not only widespread confusion and resentment but also financial loss to thousands of vehicle/motor cycle owners. In neither case was an apology or satisfactory explanation forthcoming.
Then there was the confusion surrounding the maiden address to the nation by the Prime Minister which was delayed by first one, then two and finally three hours from the announced time. It was said that vetting of the text by Mr Asif Zardari (who, at the time, was on a plane flying to Pakistan from Dubai) was the cause of the delay. Government by proxy was on every one's mind. A forced interruption marred the address in which the PM had nothing new, meaningful or significant to say in the first place and devoted considerable time to glorifying the PPP and the Bhuttos and otherwise merely reiterating what had been said many times before.
And now fast forward to the PM's meeting with the US President. After the ISI fiasco, among other missteps, it was difficult to expect that the visit would be taken seriously by Bush. As if to prove the point, a Nato missile hit Pakistani territory (about the time the "summit" was actually taking place) killing several innocent civilians. Strangely, the matter (of such intrusions into Pakistani territory, including the latest affront) were not even discussed at the "summit" according to Sherry Rehman, one of several dozen enjoying the free ride with the PM at state's (read poor man's) expense.
Condescendingly and quite at his ease, President Bush said: "...... And then I am going to have lunch with the PM here in the main White House. And that is fitting. After all Pakistan is a strong ally and a vibrant democracy". The implication is that our PM must return happy with this great honour conferred on him. As for the hypocritical remark about our vibrant democracy, the less said about it the better.
The press conference addressed by the PM after the summit was reported to be a disaster. It was agreed all round that the PM was ill-prepared for the visit, was visibly at a loss for words in answer to questions, that he failed to understand the intent of the questions, that his answers were wide of the mark.
As a result, the Pakistani press people, diplomats and cabinet ministers present were deeply embarrassed and were of the opinion that the whole thing hurt Pakistan's image rather badly. About the visit itself, it is generally felt that it was ill-timed and served no purpose, that it achieved nothing and that, on the other hand, the country's image took a direct hit as one unwelcome result.
Now that America has taken full measure of our leadership, we may see much more hurtful intrusions into our tribal areas than hitherto. Republicans would go all out to improve their prospects in their forthcoming elections through some proof of success in Afghanistan at the expense of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, back at home, the bad, bad news is the failure of the dialogue process with the Taliban with each side accusing the other of having reneged on the agreement between the NWFP government and the militants. This is hardly surprising since America and friends had always been dead against any dialogue with the militants and were expected to do whatever they could to sabotage it. A full scale army operation, pitting our armed forces against our own people is under way. Just as in Iraq or Afghanistan, missiles are being fired from aircraft, leading to collateral damage, meaning killing of innocent citizens - men, women and children. Is this going to be another quagmire (entirely of our own making) after Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia?
President Musharraf appears to be enjoying himself watching the elected government stumbling at every step. He has felt strong enough to start meeting various functionaries and has reportedly asked the government to mend things with sound policies within a couple of months.
The Asif Zardari / Nawaz Sharif "make or break" meeting is ever receding into the future with both leaders spending as much time abroad as possible, avoiding to precipitate the make or break issues namely the judiciary and the presidency. August may prove to be the make or break month for the coalition. Asif Zardari's alleged grand plan to procrastinate things still March 09 when new elections to the Senate would give him the coveted two thirds majority in the parliament, it appears, will be overtaken by events, the possible break up of the coalition, for one.
In the meantime, the Punjab governor, Mr Taseer Hadi (the self proclaimed PPP stalwart), has been talking bravely about his ability to form the government in Punjab without ML(N), should the need arise. He appears to relish the prospect of the coalition break up.
The lawyers' movement plans to agitate vigorously from 14 August with measures like blocking traffic on main roads and locking out court houses. The government no doubt has had plenty of time to plan measures at strategic and tactical levels to counter the lawyers' moves. We could see violence and mass arrests and more violence. APDM plans to launch its own movement for the restoration of judiciary at end August.
August 08, the current month will, it appears, break the stalemate, for better or worse, on various issues and set the direction for the next year or so. Let us hope and pray, that it does not turn out to be as bad for the country as all pointers indicate. Aameen.
(yawajid@yahoo.com)