Peeping into Pakistan

Pakistan, the word leaves altogether different impression in people’s mind in general and in an Indian’s mind, in particular. As famously commented by our former P.M. Shri Atal Ji “you can change your fate but not your neighbour” underlines the basic complications, we got to live with them, and there is nothing wrong with it. We have a very remote and stereotype image about our neighbour that needs to be changed.

 To my mind the biggest problem that Pakistan faces today is that of absence of defined centre of power, in other words the idea of authority and decision making is so dispersed and diluted that countries and people at large find this country very uncertain. In Pakistan, there is a paradox, the paradox of polarity, means there are multiple sub centers of power affecting their own specific constituencies and in result leaving the whole country shattered, pulled in many opposite directions and working at cross purposes.

For example, they have centers of power like the elected government, Islamic fundamentalists, jihadi groups,tribals, the ISI, army and finally the civil society. Elected government has some degree of control over the diplomats and the civic policies but failure of democracy at many occasions have led to erosion of confidence about its stability, by the global civil society in this institution. The government is often at loggerhead with the army and the ISI and its control on these two institutions are seriously doubted .on other hand, it has desperately failed to check the growth of Islamic fundamentalism.

Islamic fundamentalist get their support on the basis of religion and their strong anti India- Israel stand, they are the one who appeal mostly to the frustrated young unemployed youths, they also provide strong resource base to different kinds of terrorist organizations. Tribal groups mainly in north west and FATA regions have their own complains primarily rooted in political isolation and lack of development, these groups find themselves sandwiched and ready to connived with anyone who is against the government. They are the most dangerous one as they don’t know who their enemy is? Army has its own agenda that is mainly against India, so, no matter what happens at diplomatic level they always prepare some kind of shadow war. Kargil was immediately after the Agra summit which shows that diplomat and army man both were working at the same time, although at cross purpose. Army chief is always regarded parallel to the President and it is not mere coincidence that so many army generals have become presidents or P.M. in Pakistan, so he Army chief exercises his own power and influence ,thus army is virtually not in civilian control.

The biggest mystery is the role of ISI, it seems that they sit on the wall, keep swinging. but the permanent work is supporting jihadist in Kashmir and arranging man and material for anti india shadow operations. Who control them? Sometimes its army another times jihadist or may be government but nobody is sure of it.

There is only one fine point where these institution’s isolated axis of influence and power become congruent, and that is against India, that’s why they perform anti India task with high degree of precision.

The weakest force is the civil society, a common Pakistani is as peace loving as an Indian or an American and there is no doubt in it. But unfortunately, the voices of civil society largely go unheard. the reason is, first, huge division in the society itself and the absence of credible institutional platform where they can make themselves heard, that’s a very serious situation because this vacuum generally lead to popular revolt.

It is the civil society which is the biggest loser in current scenario when global attitude toward Pakistan is becoming hostile, they will be at the receiving end and that is why case of Pakistan need to be considered, keeping in mind the interests of the weakest of all, the people.

They packed the PAC

Public account committee is one of the most important standing committees of the parliament, standing means it has a kind of permanency and it remains in existence no matter which government come, of course the composition may change. Conventionally it is widely respected and enjoy support cutting across the party line and intelligentsia class, the reason is simple it include members from all the parties from both the houses and headed by leader of opposition. Additionally, in preparation of its report it call upon experts, executive and in some cases even CAG. The report thus prepared critically help in guiding the legislative response on otherwise tricky issues.

The high voltage drama that unfolded in the wake of 2G spectrum case did not even spare this institution from its loop. The politics begun right from the time the committee took over the case, first on whether P.M. should be called for question or not then on what should be the mandate of it. but it reached to its zenith right before the presentation of report to the speaker. The day before, there was intense political exchanges and the parties whose member were there in the PAC started lobbying to go in favor or against the committee’s report, the members of DMK,SP, CONGRESS rejected the committee’s report but any ways the report was presented to the speaker. What will be the decision of speaker is yet to be seen but it has raised many disturbing trends and the questions which answers shall, in large way decide the future of Indian institutions.

The lobbying at the final stage itself was very disturbing; it negates the spirit of this institution. the point is, if the members had any problem they should have raised their concerns at the very beginning when committee took over the case, backtracking at this stage suggests the mala fide intentions of members. probably they might have found out certain incriminating findings that might be against the interest of the parties they belong.

The committees are believed to be detached from the party’s loyalties and rightly so because if the institutions start getting infected by political interests then corruption will know no boundaries. In this particular case, honesty of an institution was put at stake for narrow political gains.

It is also possible, since the leader of opposition head the committee, there is no better way to embarrass the govt then bringing a very hard finding, if this is even remotely so then the spirit of the institution is being killed because this is the last place to set the personal or political score.

It is not the question of whether findings were right or wrong neither it is about any person in particular, it is about the trend in motion and their larger impact.

Institutionalists like Douglas North and Doni Rodrick have hailed the importance of institutions as the basic foundational pillar for development of countries; if these pillars are shaken then a larger cause of nation building would be jeopardized.