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Pakistan does a Pakistan
Asif Ali Zardari’s term is in its endgame and Islamabad is once again without a ruler.
As it does periodically, Pakistan’s polity has returned to what can politely be called a state of nature. The Supreme Court’s decision to revoke the National Reconciliation Ordinance has punched a huge hole in the legitimacy of the present civilian government. However, the court’s action is insufficient to actually force President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani out of office. The result is almost predictable. Mr Gilani’s attempts to keep the bureaucracy in line by suspending the interior secretary means that the twin heads of the executive branch are readying for battle with the judiciary.
Mr Zardari has already rallied his own Pakistan People’s Party and he can probably ensure Washington’s neutrality. However, the military and the main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, are almost certainly hoping that the judiciary will bring the Zardari government down. The Pakistani president will face a legal assault on a number of fronts. Petitions will question the basis of his election. And investigators will hunt for his connection to several corruption cases.
At a time when the country is in crisis on so many domestic fronts, the political merit of the court decision is questionable. However, given the steady decline in Mr Zardari’s authority, it was likely that it would face some sort of challenge in the coming months. The real concern is how such crises continue to show up the weakness of Pakistan’s political culture: a leadership that has no sense of a loyal opposition, a civilian class who too easily take their cue from the military or foreign capitals, and a lack of anything resembling constitutional continuity. No surprise then that a poll has shown that as many young Pakistanis support a Sharia-based political system as who support democracy.
Sadly, this crisis will not help the cause of political stability in India’s western neighbour. It is no one’s case that Mr Zardari was proving to be an effective ruler — the last several months have shown quite the opposite. New Delhi joined other governments in saying there was no one in Islamabad with authority. While he may linger on, Mr Zardari’s term in office is effectively over. Whoever may wield power after this may, in the short-term, be better able to deliver on promises made. However, the short trajectory of the Zardari government will only continue a broader trend of political decline and dilution in Pakistan.
