One Elected President, Two Unelected Politicians

One Elected President, Two Unelected Politicians

In Beijing, world celebrates human achievement while in Islamabad we are stuck with politics

I wish our people and our leaders would understand that having political differences should not stand in the way of appreciating progress

Thanks to President Musharraf export revenue more than doubled, foreign direct investment increased from a meager $1 billion to $8 billion, and the Karachi stock exchange was widely touted as one of the best performing markets in the world.

This is a man who gave Pakistan a free television news culture and oversaw the freest election in our history.

This is a manufactured political crisis that will embolden Pakistan's ill-wishers and will sadly assure foreign investors that Pakistan is no place for their business.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—At the dawn of the Beijing Olympics, talk of Pakistan's chances at field hockey glory have taken a back seat to the de-facto national sport: Politics.

Beyond the hype, it's time to take a moment and examine the situation. It seems as if the nearly divorced coalition has decided to stick together in pursuit of the President's impeachment.

One would be convinced of their genuine commitment, if not for the fact that the last such joint press briefing was to announce the Murree Declaration, now defunct.

But it's important to look behind this smokescreen. After all, why would it take marathon talks if there weren't serious problems behind the scenes?

Farooq Naik, the law minister, was kicked out of the talks—twice.

According to a report in the Daily Times, Shahbaz Sharif felt that Naik could not be trusted amidst the Sindh High Court judges’ fiasco, and asked Zardari to remove him from the negotiations not only in the Prime Minister's House, but also at Zardari House.

I suppose it’s acceptable in political circles to ask your host to kick out his own guest.

In any case, a draft was agreed upon and presented to the nation for all to see. On the face of it, the case seems compelling for the common man: Musharraf has acted unconstitutionally, is responsible for the economic crisis, and he must go in order for democracy to flourish. A legal expert would be needed to examine the complex constitutional question, such as if the PCOs of 1999 and 2000 (both validated by the Supreme Court) are fair game for impeachment.

As for the economy and the democracy argument, things are a bit clearer.

It is hard to dismiss the vast economic improvements of Pakistan since 1999, and to float it as possible grounds for impeachment is laughable. Almost every major macro-economic indicator points to the economic turnaround of the past decade. Even if the 20-fold increase in foreign reserve levels can be whisked away as a byproduct of foreign aid, what about the results? On the business side, export revenue more than doubled, foreign direct investment increased from a meager $1 billion to $8 billion, and the Karachi stock exchange was widely touted as one of the best performing markets in the world. The National Commission for Human Development was conceived, helping achieve poverty reduction, a rise in literacy, and a 600% increase in funds for development programs. I wish our people and our leaders would understand that having political differences should not stand in the way of appreciating progress and pursuing our national interests; the economy being supreme.

As for democracy, it seems ironic that an elected President who oversaw the fairest elections in Pakistan's recent history is being cited as a hindrance for democracy by two unelected politicians.

But even more important is the fact that the duly elected Prime Minister, as well as the leading party's president (also an elected member of parliament) were both not present in the talks.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim has gone as far as to publicly separate himself from the Government, denounce the march to impeachment, and plead the Government to take notice of a very serious and rapidly deteriorating security and economic situation. He supposedly has even met with PML-Q leadership, which must have political analysts grabbing their calculators to re-analyze the number game in the event of some treasury members abstaining from an impeachment vote.

Critics of President Bush often rightfully say that the war in Iraq was a "war of choice." The impeachment saga is no different. In the face of unprecedented security threats in the tribal belt, with growing reports of foreign interference to destabilize the country, and an ever-worsening economy, this manufactured political crisis will embolden Pakistan's ill-wishers, and will sadly assure foreign investors that Pakistan is no place for their business.

No matter how impeachment goes, no one seems to win, as Pakistan is definitely the one to lose. Let's hope at least our Olympic team can change that.