It is hard to take seriously the arguments that are being advanced in the defence of the Martial Law-like state of Emergency declared by the Chief of Staff President General Pervez Musharraf. One of these arguments is that the armed forces of Pakistan need the support of Emergency Laws to crush the insurgency of the miscreants in the north. One, in this context, tends to believe that a couple of fire-breathing helicopters supporting a determined ground assault can be far more effective than the Emergency Laws incorporated in the PCO. And to catch the ‘potential’ or the ‘wanted’ terrorists, Pakistan’s security personnel did not need any state of emergency when those high value ‘culprits’ were caught and handed over to Americans because of whom, Washington remains so deeply indebted to General Musharraf. Another argument that is advanced for ‘eulogising’ the Emergency is that it will help in ensuring the holding of truly free, fair and transparent elections.
It is hard for any sensible person to understand how. What the Emergency has ensured till now is an unprecedented wave of hundreds and hundreds of arrests (all over the country) which include political leaders, workers and members of the other sections of the civil society. Even if those detained or arrested are released in lieu of the forthcoming elections, every citizen of Pakistan has been given a clear message. He or she can be put behind the bars under the Emergency laws, without assigning any reasons. It will be enough for him or her to oppose the government, to earn the wrath of the law-enforcing agencies. One cannot think of any rational electioneering in the absence of a genuine atmosphere of contest. Another argument that is being thrown at the nation’s face is that in the past too, elections have been held under Emergency. In this context the example of the 1970 elections is cited which continue to be remembered as the fairest that can ‘possibly’ be held in our country.
One needs to remind the champions of this argument that in the Elections of 1970, the government of the time was not a party (at least formally), and General Yahya Khan was a proper military dictator who had never made any pretenses to being a soldier of democracy, as our present President often does – not without taking considerable pride in his democratic credentials. If the long-desired and long-awaited ‘free and fair’ elections are held in dubious conditions and in the absence of a consensus – and if the results of such elections are subsequently challenged on the stage and in the street, the country will be plunged into a chaos that neither General Musharraf, nor the leaders of PML (Q and N), nor the MMA leadership – nor of course BB’s PPP desires or can afford. Let common sense and better judgement therefore prevail.
30-3-2014
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