Former PPP senator Farhatullah Babar wrote an article in weekly Friday Times titled ‘The COVID-19 pandemic must force a rethink’, in which he spew venom against military. He conveniently forgot that founder of the PPP Z.A. Bhutto was also General IskandarMirza and former army chief General Ayub Khan’s find, and was Secretary General of Convention Muslim League. Despite knowing these facts, Farhatullah Babar was critical of Ayub Khan for having replaced ‘Yom-i -Jamhooriah’ with a Pakistan Day military parade, implanting in the minds of people a false idea that national pride lay in brass and band instead of constitutionalism, democracy and people’s welfare. He then writes: “For decades, the Pakistan Day parade on March 23 extravagantly showcases the country’s military might. It also marks the nature of the state, which is clearly driven by a security paranoid, instead of people’s welfare”.
On 23rd March 1940, when leaders of All India Muslim League in a meeting at Manto Park (now Iqbal Park) Lahore passed a resolution, known as Lahore Resolution of 1940, on the basis of which Pakistan was created in 1947. The significance of this day is that it reminds us of raison d’etre for waging a struggle for separate homeland for the
Muslims that were not given a fair deal, and were rather persecuted by brute Hindu majority. Quaid-e-Azam has been trying to protect the rights of the Muslims since Lucknow Pact of 1916 to Cabinet Mission of 1946. But once he realized that Congress had a vicious agenda of marginalizing the Muslims, he stood for separate homeland for the Muslims. However, he had categorically stated that it would be a state where a free and independent people would enjoy equal rights without discrimination on the basis of religion, sect, ethnicity or gender.
Pakistan, indeed, has all the ingredients to make it a modern progressive state. It has industrious people, vast areas of land, variegated seasons suitable for various crops and fruits, rivers, large coastline and abundant natural resources. Its mountains and valleys are the most scenic in the world. Its strategic position cannot be over-emphasized. However, ruling elite’s corrupt practices, myopic thinking and flawed economic and foreign policies, bad governance, disregard for the aspirations of the people and failure to distribute benefits of economic growth equitably led to disintegration of the country. But people have not lost hope; they are determined to get Pakistan a respectable place in the comity of nations. One could disagree with late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s politics, and criticize him for not accepting people’s verdict in 1970 elections, but there was no stigma of corruption so far as his person was concerned.
In fact, one did not hear much about corruption during the brief tenures of seven prime ministers of Pakistan and even Aybian era. Z.A. Bhutto must be turning in his grave over the stories of corruption of Asif Ali Zardari and his compliant daughter late Benazir Bhutto. When Asif Ali Zardari was put in the dock for his corruption, he adopted aggressive posture while addressing the gathering at Naudero at the second death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto, President Asif Ali Zardari was overwhelmed by anger when he said: “Non-state actors were trying to break up Pakistan and institutions were being pitted against each other; but every sacrifice would be made to protect democracy”. Unfortunately, our political scene is flooded with political novices harbouring misplaced delusions of mass leadership and the politicos who have no other outstanding credentials except ‘dynasty’.
The fact remains that Nawaz Sharif also owes his rise to power to his mentor late General Zia-ul-Haq, whereas late Benazir Bhutto and now Asif Ali Zardari capitalized on the PPP – a political party formed by late ZA Bhutto and his comrades in late 1960s. However, they have yet to understand the basics of politics that a leadership’s sustenance comes from people’s power. And the people would only support it when it stays relevant to their lives. So-called socialists Farhatullah Babar and RazaRabbani should do a bit of introspection and rethink of either cleansing the PPP of corrupt elements if they have the guts, or leave the party to save their ideology.
