Confined to the high walls of the Aiwan-i-Sadr President Asif Ali Zardari seems to be afflicted with the impatience of a prisoner. No wonder his video address delivered at the rally marking the PPP's 43rd foundation day in Karachi on Wednesday was dripping with bitterness.
But he said he had no beef with the establishment - that is the word that stands for the military - or with his political opponents. He was tilting at the phantoms he called "political players". His was a charge-sheet against a section of the media that he charged was part of a conspiracy to oust him from his office. He dared his critics "we are here because we have a mandate".
But his unsaid message is in the name of the rally; that Pakistan would "khappey" as long as his party's mandate is honoured. Simply said, he flashed the so-called Sindh card at the rally once again. However, his party men were less inhibited; speaking at the occasion, Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza warned 'if needed the Sindh card would be used, with great pride'.
That, at this most critical time in the history of our country the sitting president should be worrying about his own political survival instead of taking up cudgels with the daunting challenges - is enigmatic if not down right unacceptable. It was more the speech of a political party chief than of a president. He proudly owned the 'presence of Bhuttoism in the President's House' which he said was 'evoking fear among opponents'.
People would have wanted to hear him speak on national security situation or lingering sugar crisis or the rampant corruption which has earned Pakistan a bad name all over the world. You name a nightmare besetting the people and it is there. But if anything he thought proper to tell the people was the PPP victory in the Gilgit-Baltistan, as if it was an undisputed victory.
President Zardari has drawn his sword at the messenger, ignoring the importance of the message the poor messenger may be carrying. What is in the media that so much rankles his mind? Isn't the fact that a large number of his aides, cronies and ministers benefited from the notorious NRO? Isn't it true that the affidavit filed by an accused in the Bank of Punjab scam has named one of the federal ministers as having pocketed Rs 35 million to secure a favourable verdict?
Who can dispute the fact that power outages remain in force despite so many promises by the government, and that there is substantial doubt about fairness of rental power plant deals? And isn't it a fact that according to the latest International Transparency report corruption in Pakistan is perceived to have registered a dramatic growth?
Then there are numerous instances of un-merited recruitments, out of turn promotions, plush foreign postings given to ministers' progenies and overall poor governance at all levels. What else are the media men talking about? Nobody denies that the PPP made sacrifices for a democratic Pakistan. But certainly the party was not voted into power to patronise corruption, inefficiency and nepotism.
Not only President Zardari, but quite a few other political leaders also insist that the mandated tenure should be allowed to be completed. But that is not what democracy envisages. In a democratic ambience, elections are only a means to place an individual or a party or an alliance into power if he or the party happens to represent the majority of the electorate.
Of course their tenure is fixed but it is not sacrosanct. Every constitution worth its name provides for mid-term elections if for a certain reason or circumstances a sitting government forfeits its mandate by running afoul of its constitutional responsibilities. Instead of shifting blame on the media or what President Zardari calls "a handful of political actors" he and his comrades are expected to do some soul searching to try finding out if their house is in order and if their governance is good and geared to do good to all without fear and favour. And, last but not the least that the people would like to see is their president among them more often.