pkpatriotic
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Government, army and politics
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nasim Zehra
In Pakistan victorious politicians have acquired substantive, even if not total, state and government power and they enjoy legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The Establishment too has moved on the "back foot." There has been a marked improvement in Pakistan's civil military relations since the new government came into power. There is regular interaction between the two leaderships and at present there is near-consensus on national security issues, especially on a national strategy for combating terrorism. For example, the army also supported the Oct 22 resolution which called for "an urgent review of the national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability through an independent foreign policy. The Pakistan military today is focusing on its constitutional role and staying away from the political arena. The civilian government has managed key first including the presentation of the defense budget in the parliament, the briefing by the director general military operation on the tribal areas to the joint session of the Parliament; the consensus appointment of the ISI chief, regular briefings on the tribal areas to the civilian leadership.
The Army's current constitutional posture may be due to the army chief's personal democratic temperament, but there are also objective conditions that have led to the military exit from overt and covert involvement in politics. These would include the extreme nationwide unpopularity and resentment against Gen Musharraf's eight-year rule, the military's low morale because of having to fight its own people, high casualties since the beginning of the 2004 military action in the tribal areas, the growing public resentment against the army involvement in politics and stories of its corruption. It is against this backdrop that the current military leadership has remained steadfast in its resolve to steer clear of politics. Beginning with the February elections the Army has delinked itself from politics and has kept its prime intelligence agencies, the ISI and MI, away from all political manipulation.
Meanwhile, with the government's authority and legitimacy comes a huge canvas of demands on the internal front that the government must fulfil. They range from politics to economy and from communication to managing rising expectations. Of these multiple challenges eight are noteworthy:
Governance and economy: typically under the ambit of governance would fall issues like provision of social services, dispensation of justice, ruling by meritocracy, beating down inflation; leading by example; creation of an environment conducive to profitable economic activity which would generate jobs; similarly, policy implementation, the efficient utilisation of resources, tackling the current energy crises and controlling inflation and ensuring food security. Hence, the democratically elected government must now provide all that which would owner the classic social contract between the state and society.
Managing rising awareness and expectations: a combination of factors ranging from the information revolution, media-facilitated awareness among citizen of their constitutional rights and of the ruing elite responsibilities have popularised the demand for accountable exercise of power and authority. People expectation and demand rule of law, transparent government: a government that is receptive and responsive to peoples, needs and demands, and that allows the functioning of an independent judiciary and an independent press.
Flawless leadership: people and the nature of the challenges require almost flawless leadership. Pakistan's leadership needs to "lead from the front" in establishing new ways of tolerance, discipline, patience and above all making competence and integrity the indispensables for key appointments. It is only when political and partisan considerations become paramount that democratic chaos can devour the virtues of democracy. In Pakistan, where for decades we have blundered along the path of democracies and dictatorship, people are seeking the strengthening of democracy's virtues. The citizens feel more empowered while the government must ability manage the rising expectation of the 160 million people of whom 100 million are below the age of 25.
Participation and inclusion: a corollary of managing people's expectation is to encourage their participation and inclusion in the process of policy formulation, policy implementation, policy debate in all circumstances. The need for this is particularly acute in an adverse socio economic, security and to some extend political environment in which the citizens suffer greatly. Ensuring people's participation and inclusion in difficult times as now prevail in the country, contributes to lowering tensions between the government and the citizens gives the citizens a sense of ownership of process. Plus, it reduces alienation and confrontation between a democratically elected government and the citizen living under hardships. The avenues for such participation and inclusion would be a representative parliament body, interaction between opinion making community and the policymaker, forums provided by the media.
Constitutional amendments: as a consequence of the 17th Amendment passed under Gen Pervez Musharraf the Constitution was radically altered. Essentially the parliamentary form of government was changed to the presidential form of government. The Charter of Democracy signed by two major national political leaders, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, has laid out the constitutional amendment needed to remove the anomalies introduce under the 17th Amendment. In his first address to the country's joined Parliament President Asif Ali Zardari announced that he would shortly set up a parliamentary committee to recommend constitutional changes. The committee has yet to be formed.
Strengthening of institutions: the process of institutional reforms initiated during Gen Musharraf's regime, especially in the financial sector including the State Bank, the CBR and the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, needs to be spread wider. The long overdue Election Commission reform, civil services reform, public sector training Institutional reform, needs to be undertaken without efficiently and credibly functioning federal provincial and district level bureaucracy the crises of governance cannot be effectively tackled.
More efficient and effective regulatory bodies in various sectors are also required. Ultimately, without strong institutions personalised decision-making cannot be replaced with what Pakistan needs-institutionalised decision-making.
Acute crises of internal security: however, in recent weeks important developments indicate that a consensus on how to deal with the internal and external dimension of terrorism is evolving. The passage of the Oct 22 joint 14-point consensus resolution by the two houses of Parliament calling for an end to military operation and the beginning of dialogue with the tribal elders and those militant who are willing to lay down their arms and calling for an end to US attack on Pakistani territory is significant.
There has been support for an ongoing dialogue with Kabul and the convening of the Pakistani-Afghan mini-jirga. Also there is greater civil military coordination at the leadership and institutional level. A parliamentary committee has now been formed for implementing the Oct 22 resolution while the government continuously calls for an end to drone attacks killing innocent civilians. US attacks are unlikely to end unless Islamabad and Washington are able to engage in a comprehensive and serious dialogue on tackling terrorism.
Specific issues: issues ranging from Balochistan, the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) tos water distribution will require continuous systematic and credible effort to politically resolve the chronic problem of alienation among the Baloch. The president's apology to the people of Balochistan for the killing of Sardar Bugti, the military operation the denial of right to their resources have all been positive steps. Engaging Dubai-based Baloch nationalists is also a welcome step. More systematic follow-up is still awaited.
The ball is now squarely in the court of Zardari and Gilani. They shoulder the primary, if not exclusive responsibility to take the country forward on the track of good governance, political stability and sound security.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nasim Zehra
In Pakistan victorious politicians have acquired substantive, even if not total, state and government power and they enjoy legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The Establishment too has moved on the "back foot." There has been a marked improvement in Pakistan's civil military relations since the new government came into power. There is regular interaction between the two leaderships and at present there is near-consensus on national security issues, especially on a national strategy for combating terrorism. For example, the army also supported the Oct 22 resolution which called for "an urgent review of the national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability through an independent foreign policy. The Pakistan military today is focusing on its constitutional role and staying away from the political arena. The civilian government has managed key first including the presentation of the defense budget in the parliament, the briefing by the director general military operation on the tribal areas to the joint session of the Parliament; the consensus appointment of the ISI chief, regular briefings on the tribal areas to the civilian leadership.
The Army's current constitutional posture may be due to the army chief's personal democratic temperament, but there are also objective conditions that have led to the military exit from overt and covert involvement in politics. These would include the extreme nationwide unpopularity and resentment against Gen Musharraf's eight-year rule, the military's low morale because of having to fight its own people, high casualties since the beginning of the 2004 military action in the tribal areas, the growing public resentment against the army involvement in politics and stories of its corruption. It is against this backdrop that the current military leadership has remained steadfast in its resolve to steer clear of politics. Beginning with the February elections the Army has delinked itself from politics and has kept its prime intelligence agencies, the ISI and MI, away from all political manipulation.
Meanwhile, with the government's authority and legitimacy comes a huge canvas of demands on the internal front that the government must fulfil. They range from politics to economy and from communication to managing rising expectations. Of these multiple challenges eight are noteworthy:
Governance and economy: typically under the ambit of governance would fall issues like provision of social services, dispensation of justice, ruling by meritocracy, beating down inflation; leading by example; creation of an environment conducive to profitable economic activity which would generate jobs; similarly, policy implementation, the efficient utilisation of resources, tackling the current energy crises and controlling inflation and ensuring food security. Hence, the democratically elected government must now provide all that which would owner the classic social contract between the state and society.
Managing rising awareness and expectations: a combination of factors ranging from the information revolution, media-facilitated awareness among citizen of their constitutional rights and of the ruing elite responsibilities have popularised the demand for accountable exercise of power and authority. People expectation and demand rule of law, transparent government: a government that is receptive and responsive to peoples, needs and demands, and that allows the functioning of an independent judiciary and an independent press.
Flawless leadership: people and the nature of the challenges require almost flawless leadership. Pakistan's leadership needs to "lead from the front" in establishing new ways of tolerance, discipline, patience and above all making competence and integrity the indispensables for key appointments. It is only when political and partisan considerations become paramount that democratic chaos can devour the virtues of democracy. In Pakistan, where for decades we have blundered along the path of democracies and dictatorship, people are seeking the strengthening of democracy's virtues. The citizens feel more empowered while the government must ability manage the rising expectation of the 160 million people of whom 100 million are below the age of 25.
Participation and inclusion: a corollary of managing people's expectation is to encourage their participation and inclusion in the process of policy formulation, policy implementation, policy debate in all circumstances. The need for this is particularly acute in an adverse socio economic, security and to some extend political environment in which the citizens suffer greatly. Ensuring people's participation and inclusion in difficult times as now prevail in the country, contributes to lowering tensions between the government and the citizens gives the citizens a sense of ownership of process. Plus, it reduces alienation and confrontation between a democratically elected government and the citizen living under hardships. The avenues for such participation and inclusion would be a representative parliament body, interaction between opinion making community and the policymaker, forums provided by the media.
Constitutional amendments: as a consequence of the 17th Amendment passed under Gen Pervez Musharraf the Constitution was radically altered. Essentially the parliamentary form of government was changed to the presidential form of government. The Charter of Democracy signed by two major national political leaders, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, has laid out the constitutional amendment needed to remove the anomalies introduce under the 17th Amendment. In his first address to the country's joined Parliament President Asif Ali Zardari announced that he would shortly set up a parliamentary committee to recommend constitutional changes. The committee has yet to be formed.
Strengthening of institutions: the process of institutional reforms initiated during Gen Musharraf's regime, especially in the financial sector including the State Bank, the CBR and the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, needs to be spread wider. The long overdue Election Commission reform, civil services reform, public sector training Institutional reform, needs to be undertaken without efficiently and credibly functioning federal provincial and district level bureaucracy the crises of governance cannot be effectively tackled.
More efficient and effective regulatory bodies in various sectors are also required. Ultimately, without strong institutions personalised decision-making cannot be replaced with what Pakistan needs-institutionalised decision-making.
Acute crises of internal security: however, in recent weeks important developments indicate that a consensus on how to deal with the internal and external dimension of terrorism is evolving. The passage of the Oct 22 joint 14-point consensus resolution by the two houses of Parliament calling for an end to military operation and the beginning of dialogue with the tribal elders and those militant who are willing to lay down their arms and calling for an end to US attack on Pakistani territory is significant.
There has been support for an ongoing dialogue with Kabul and the convening of the Pakistani-Afghan mini-jirga. Also there is greater civil military coordination at the leadership and institutional level. A parliamentary committee has now been formed for implementing the Oct 22 resolution while the government continuously calls for an end to drone attacks killing innocent civilians. US attacks are unlikely to end unless Islamabad and Washington are able to engage in a comprehensive and serious dialogue on tackling terrorism.
Specific issues: issues ranging from Balochistan, the Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) tos water distribution will require continuous systematic and credible effort to politically resolve the chronic problem of alienation among the Baloch. The president's apology to the people of Balochistan for the killing of Sardar Bugti, the military operation the denial of right to their resources have all been positive steps. Engaging Dubai-based Baloch nationalists is also a welcome step. More systematic follow-up is still awaited.
The ball is now squarely in the court of Zardari and Gilani. They shoulder the primary, if not exclusive responsibility to take the country forward on the track of good governance, political stability and sound security.
