Pakistan awaits Arab spring

The Arab spring was clearly the defining moment of the last year, which continues to find echo in all parts of the world. Even in Myanmar the military junta appears to have realized for better that the time for democracy has arrived and could not be further avoided.

So, when people all around the world yearn for true democracy, Pakistan too cannot remain unaffected. Therefore, it’s quite understandable why Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is so anguished for the nation still lagging behind in establishing a fully functional democratic set up. He rightly lamented the fact that while vibrant democracy thrives in India no elected government has been allowed to complete its term in Pakistan for many years. This is truly a very sad commentary on Pakistan’s state of affairs.

The world profusely prides in India’s vibrant democracy, which thrives on strong institutions and constitutionally defined separation of power. Executive, judiciary and legislature in India have done well tostay in their respective domains and honour rights of other institutions. Sadly, healthy democratic set up appears to be the missing link in Pakistan’s democracy. The overzealous indulgence by Pakistani army in the affairs of other institutions has been seen as the sole reason for weakening of democracy.

So, one can understand Gilani’s anguish when he said that though India and Pakistan were created on the same date, there was a stark difference in how they have continued with their democratic systems.

It’s noteworthy to mention that democracy has never been able to institutionalise in Pakistan, as the country witnessed a series of military coups starting from 1958. Besides, memories of last coup by Pervez Musharraf's overthrow of Nawaz Sharif's elected government in 1999 still remain fresh. The pitfalls of Pakistan having been under several decades of military rule are for all to see.

However, Gilani clearly gives a sense, that the struggle for democratic ways of life is still going on in Pakistan and one would wish all the success to the civil society there. The provocation for Gilani’s lamentation has apparently been due to his apprehensions of a number of conspiracies being hatched in the country to undermine his government. Notwithstanding internal squabbles in Pakistan, Gilani would do well to keep the fight for democracy alive. In fact, the era of military coups are now part of history.

Besides, Gilani deserves accolade for speaking his mind frankly and freely. In fact, true testimony of a leader is whether he can tell the people not what they want to listen to but what he thinks is right for them.

Therefore, Gilani quite rightly pointed out to the people in Pakistan that the country cannot afford to have wars in 21st century. This statement of fact is quite commendable, knowing well that Jehadi elements clearly backed by Pakistan’s agencies related to military openly indulge in war mongering on the issue of Kashmir. Pakistan has waged four wars on India on the issue of Kashmir, with the last one through intrusion in Kargil still being fresh in the minds of the people.

The Pakistani premier quite rightly stated that any issue, including Kashmir, has to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. While Gilani spelt out the reality, the message to Pakistani military is also quite apparent, that its grounds for intruding into democratic institutions are now obsolete and it should limit itself to its brief only. Experts have rightly diagnosed that the Pakistani army had been exploiting sentiments of the people by feeding anti-India hysteria there.

In fact, Gilani appears to be taking the bull by its horn, as he clearly stated that it was the democratic government, which closed NATO supply lines, got the US to vacate Shamsi airbase and boycotted the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan after NATO attack on Pakistani border. In the same breath, he also reminded that there were question marks about Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan as it was made by a dictator who wore four hats of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the army chief, the President and the Chief Executive in a veiled reference to Parvez Musharaff.

Pakistan would rather do well to take note of the way how Bangladesh has embarked on nation building by single mindedly focusing on socio-economic advancement of its people, while also scripting a win-win partnership with India.

In nutshell 21st century has no place for war and hysteria and rather it’s for partnership and peaceful co-existence. Pakistani civil society has quite commendably been vocal in the recent past for its rights. Pakistan has to find a way out of the gray areas, which allow other institutions to trample with democratic ways of governance as a step forward.

Anna fills leadership vacuum

After about 240 hours of the fast of Gandhian Anna Hazare, there appears a clear sense that there is leadership vacuum in the country. The state of the affairs is such that the Parliament and government are not only paralysed but even discredited.

Anna Hazare is fighting a just cause. People in a spontaneous way have got behind Anna. Still, the government is searching for an escape route, as has been the tradition of the ruling party.  

For over five years there had been quite an astonishment among some, that why the people are so tolerant. The price rise has not only broken the backbone of the middle class but has confronted them with a number of existential questions. A spate of corruption came in a way as some floodgate has been opened. Still, the government had only one or the other explanation to give to find an escape route.

It appears that the Opposition parties failed to provide leadership to the simmering anger of millions of people. The leadership vacuum appears being filled in by Anna, who swears by the name of Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideals had caught the imagination of the youth of the country in an unexpected manner by Sanjay Dutt starrer Munnabhai MBBS movie.

Anna is in the midst of a serious business. It appears that the Jan Lokpal Bill is just igniting a people's movement to cleanse the very political set up in the country, which is not only muddied but has failed the aspirations of well informed people.

There is a similarity in the state of Yamuna in Delhi, which is a dead river here, and the political class, which claims to represent the people. Every year water flows into Yamuna during Monsoon, as is the case with MPs and MLAs at the times of elections, but the massive garbage stays at the bottom of the dead river as does the rot in the political system.

A report of the Lt. Governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about two years back had recommended physical cleaning of Yamuna along with creating a reservoir to ensure continuous flow of water into it.

The political system too requires a physical cleaning and regular flow of people of character and integrity to ensure that the rotting democracy comes back to life again.

The sad commentary on political class is the arrogance that the MPs have irrespective of the fact that they are the product of a flawed system. They have not bothered to introspect that none of them could inspire the youth of the country nor they have any answer to the burning issues of the mass.

Anna appears to have his fingers on the pulse of the people. He has correctly diagnosed the malaise. His solutions are not only logical but much needed. A Lokpal, which can deter the acts of corruption, has to be there. Madhu Kodas, A Rajas, Suresh Kalmadis are not individuals but representatives of the rotten system. 

Anna has rightly said that this is just a beginning. Much needs to be done. Electoral reform must come on the table next to ensure that politics does not remain the last refuse of the scoundrels.

The good thing about Anna's campaign is that it is blessed with right people who appear committed to their cause. An IRS officer friend of this author said Arvind Kejriwal used to tell them to forget relations when they joined government service so that they could remain clean. "If you are trapped in relations, you will fall in a pitless well of corruption," Kejriwal used to tell his fellow colleagues when he was in IRS.

One could just wish that the Anna bandwagon continue to roll till there is a complete physical cleansing of the system. May God give him long life.      

Arrogance isn't permanent

West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Assembly election results have one verdict in common, that arrogance is not everlasting and voters have their own ways to ground politicos who are out of their minds.

Mamta Banerjee had won West Bengal almost a year ago. May 13 results only made it official that she ended 34 years of uninterrupted Left rule in West Bengal.

The M Karunanidhi clan led Tamil Nadu government with the blessings of the Congress shamed all with their insatiable corruption. It's only a matter of time to see how many of the clan member go to jail in the aftermath of the election results. 

Born and sworn to die Leftists had begun throwing their towels not so recently. Decisive turn of the tide came when the Left cadres began switching loyalties to Mamta.

Once confronted a die-hard Leftist on a question why the Left cadres would switch over to the Mamta, he had to say that they are tired with the "arrogance" of the Marxist leaders.

"Once people had sought to know from a top ranking Marxist leader should Nobel laureate Amartya Sen be brought to educate the Left cadre, the prompt answer came from him, that they had better economists then Sen," he said to explain his point.

But  the bigger question is whether the people have elected Mamta or rejected the 34-year-old Left government! The Bengalis do not hide their frustration that they do not have leaders to look for.

"We needed leader like Nitish Kumar but there is none like him in Bengal," said one news photographer.

"In Bengal there is no ambition. People earn Rs 20 and spends Rs 10 on meal and goes to play card in the evening at adda. This is what there is in the state. We have slipped behind even Bihar," further added the news photographer.

In fact Mamta has bigger challenge at her hands now that she has to prove that she was worthy of the people's mandate. The Marxists would be counting days to see how she blunders out the popular mandate.

"The Left had conceded defeat long back but they think that after five years of Mamta's rule the Marxists would again come to power to stay in the Writers' Building for over 70 years," said one of those sworn to die as Leftist.

A Central government servant in Kolkata had told this author in October last year that though the Left would be voted out, what he dreaded most was of a couple of years of blood-letting in the state. If this happens at all, it would be the saddest things to happen in West Bengal.

The verdict in this summer of elections is not very decisive either ways for those who matter in Delhi.

Assam went for peace talks with Ulfra and good governance. Kerala left the pundits scracthing their heads. Pudduchery went for self-respect of their popular leader. West Bengal was an eruption of long suppressed anger and frustration.

It's only Tamil Nadu which matters in Delhi, as it indicates popular anger against the UPA-II which has unleashed corruption unlimited. This is a mere indication and a lot of churning out process would unfold in coming months.

Who rules Delhi after 2014 Lok Sabha elections would be known in some definite ways after the mother of all electoral battle in UP next year. A very strong lady is holding out there strongly amid frontal attacks from all the opponents.

Delhi: A city of beasts

The popular perception is that law and order in Delhi has collapsed. This is not triggered just by yesterday's broad daylight murder of a 21 years old Delhi University student Radhika Tanwar.

The law and order in Delhi has collapsed because there is a systemic breakdown in the enforcement by the police. Delhi police is a one big fat organisation full of corrupt people lacking in the policing character to do anything to redeem the lost cause of making the capital of the country crime free.

The spate of crime in Delhi is mind-boggling. No one is safe. Anyone can become victim of crime in the capital of the country anytime.

Delhi police and its master, the Union home ministry along with the top man P Chidambaram, are in love with statistics. To any question on law and order in Delhi having gone down the barrel, these shameless custodian of people's safety fall back on statistics. This is a fraud on the people.

Delhi police is not accountable to the people of the city. This is with the Union Home ministry. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and P Chidambaram have contradictory perceptions on city law and order. While the former calls its shameful that people are getting killed in big number, the latter says all is well as he has statistics to prove.

Delhi government has its own Home department, which keeps a close eye on the law and order situation in the city. Top bureaucrats of the Delhi government are of the opinion that 98 per cent of the crime incidents do not result in registration of FIRs. This explains the cooked up statistics of P Chidambaram and Delhi police.

The malaise is much deep rooted. Delhi has borders with western UP, which is already worrying the state chief minister Mayawati for abnormally high crime rate, and Haryana. To top them all Delhi itself has villages littered across its length and breadth. The people in Delhi's villages have made mullah due to their properties. But their young generation is a breed of uneducated, uncultured and lawless lot.

Further, Delhi police gets most of its man power from the rural areas of the capital from the ranks of constable up to the inspectors. This is reflected in the whole approach of the Delhi police in dealing with lawless people, with whom its manpower is on friendly terms.

So, do not be surprised when you find that the Delhi police most often mediating at crime scenes in place of nabbing the law-breakers. You may be shocked that more often the Delhi police personnel side with the law-breakers and persuade you not to insist for registration of an FIR. This author has experienced all these first hand.

It's very unfortunate that the people whom the voters elect in Delhi do not have any say in the policing. With no accountability Delhi police is a force of "lathmaar" and having no intent to break the bone of the growing lot of law breakers. In the past it has been seen that senior officials of the Delhi police have been in collusion with the property dealers, majority of whom are source of a number of crimes and get away with their acts with impunity.

It's not that the senior citizens and women alone are living in Delhi with a sense of fear. All law abiding citizens in the capital live with a sense of insecurity. And worse is that they do not trust the police. Delhi makes a fit case of lawless city and redemption is not even in the immediate future as there is no intent.