This country has a very interesting history of democracy. There has been time when the governor generals or the presidents used to call the shots and the prime ministers took the cue from them. That was the time when strongmen like Ghulam Mohammad, Iskandar Mirza, Zia and Musharraf ruled the roost. There was also a time when in this country the Prime ministers were all-powerful and the presidents played second fiddle to them. Mention can be made here of Chaudri Fazle Elahi, Tarar and Mamnoon Hussain, to mention a few.
In India the office of the president is ceremonial in essence but they have made it attractive by always appointing persons of extraordinary talents in fine arts, literature, science, philosophy and legal profession as president of India turn by turn. In this country, fealty to the prime minister has always been prime consideration while selecting the tenant of the president house. During Zardari’s era, however, we saw both the prime ministers sitting at his feet and they couldn’t take a single step without first getting an approving nod from him despite the fact that the constitution under which they were working vested the ultimate power in them but then it was an extra ordinary situation too as Zardari happened to be the head of the ruling PPP and had come to power on the wave of sympathy vote for his slain wife.
The situation has reversed once again. In Mamnoon Hussain, the PM has found a true substitute of Tarar. Uptill now it was widely believed that he, like Tarar is also toothless and spineless but whatever he uttered the other day about Panama leaks must have raised the eyebrows of his benefactors. It was against his grain to talk in a manner which might be construed as tacit disapproval of what has been done or being done by those to whom he is beholden for the present highest administrative position that he enjoys in this country. He has reportedly said that those who are involved in the Panama leaks are going to get their just deserts sooner or later. He also billed these leaks as a curse of God on those whose names find mention in them. Truer words are never spoken though to many they amounted to rubbing the salts into the wounds of Sharif family.
- Latest
- Trending
