Merger of Many PML Zeroes Under
Coercive Pressure
By
Wajid Shamsul Hasan
IT
HAD SOUNDED too good to be true - merger of the five factions
of Muslim League. In a country where not many can predict who
is coming and who is going, the merger news was described as a
major political development.
Surely
never before in the past such an attempt to collect so many opportunists
under one roof had succeeded. Meeting of such men - honorable
at that - strictly in the Shakespearean lexicon - was held at
the imposing Prime Minister House presently giving the impression
of either a old people's home or that of a deserted morgue.
It
is said that General Pervez Musharraf desperately sought such
a merger. Both he and Jamali have to show something to convince
Washington that they were making every effort to establish democracy
in Pakistan.
Analysts
call it out-of-hat performance of now no more invisible rulers.
Musharraf caught on the wrong foot by his fraudulent referendum
and overly flawed 2002 elections that no doubt gave his King's
Party majority in the Parliament but not enough to rule.
While
some political pundits are willing to give benefit of the doubt
to the unified Pakistan Muslim League under Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain,
others who are skeptic about it call it summoning together by
Musharraf of the chohay of great divine of Multan Shah
Dola Vali to the aid of the King's Party and the King himself.
Prime
Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali seems to have achieved something
of a miracle. "It will be one party, one structure and one
voice for everyone, within and outside parliament," announced
he in the presence of other heavy weight party presidents who
at best represent the Tonga parties.
Except
of course Muslim League (Q) that was accorded majority in the
elections, it must have been an occasion for the self-elation
for Pir Pagara of the PML-Functional, Ijaz-ul-Haq of the PML-Zia,
Hamid Nasir Chattha the PML-Junejo, Manzoor Wattoo of the PML-Jinnah
and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain of the PML-Q.
First
reaction to the merger news in political circles was its dismissal
as a comical event. When 0+0+0+0+0 are added what you get is a
zero - it is altogether a different thing how large the media
paints the zero-its remains as such although in arithmetic zero's
significance cannot be underestimated-some figures remain meaningless
without it. That is what
Musharraf hopes.
The
structure at the center and provincial levels of the new PML will
be announced in due course and in "a democratic way".
About differences between these factions and their bitter past,
Jamali said: "Forget the past, we have made a new beginning,
let's talk about the future," and added that no time frame
has been agreed to announce the party structure.
Merger
critics have been cynical in their observations. They say: wait
and see there could be many a slip between the cup and the lip.
Jamali
has described his efforts for the PML unification as a "political
decision of PML" and hoped it would prove a good omen for
politics and "the party would be able to deliver the goods
in more effective manner." Usually one would have said that
before rushing to conclusions about its fate and smooth sailing,
time must be given to the ink used in signing of the agreement
to dry.
However,
there has been no signed agreement - as Jamali said - it was not
put in writing since the decision was based on mutual understanding
and agreed to by the respectable leaders. However, he insists
in describing it as a historic decision.
One
would agree that it was for the first time after partition that
different factions of the party opted for joining hands for enhancing
what Jamali calls national cohesion while his critics say that
it is an understanding among political opportunists to save their
bacon. They don't want to give Musharraf a chance to derail their
joy ride on the wings of perks and power.
Just
a little 24 hours after the merger, Ejazul Haq, President of PML
(Zia) cast the first stone of doubt about its fate. He has clarified
that he has not merged his faction of Muslim League into the new
PML. He has joined what he called a bigger alliance of ML factions
while maintaining their independent identity. The new alliance
will, however, have unanimity in expression of views on policy
matters. He said that Election Commission has also been informed
of the formation of this new political conglomeration.
Pir
of Pagara followed suit immediately by holding a news conference
as soon as he landed in Karachi and said his party had not merged
into PML.
President
of the new PML Chaudhry Shujaat believes that now the party would
move ahead with one voice. "We will prove that we are working
for the solidarity of Pakistan." Shujaat feels that the "people
will see a positive change in the political environment."
He
also tried to silence those critics who fear Gujratism in the
nomination of new PML office bearers. He assured them that the
process of party's reorganization would be "transparent",
adding that he would take along all members of the party.
The
Muslim League merger is one of the last straws that Musharraf
thinks would keep him afloat. It could be yet another attempt
by him and his team to configure something that could help them
tide over the ongoing constitutional deadlock over the LFO and
President's itch to keep on the military uniform.
As
some of those more loyal than the King wanted Musharraf to come
out of the closet and become PML president as well, Jamali ruled
it out that though he had Musharraf's blessings, the General was
advised not to indulge in politics so obviously by assuming PML
presidentship. While his opponents would more than welcome it,
such a shady entry in politics by him would open a Pandora's box
within his own Praetorian constituency where voices have started
blaming him for maligning the military establishment in the eyes
of the people.
Analysts,
however, are of the view that the ultimate end of unifying Muslim
League factions is to provide a political platform to Musharraf
to establish his legitimacy and credibility. And that he-later
than sooner-would become its president.
Notwithstanding
the fact that more Muslim League factions have opted to stay out
from the unification, the biggest of course is PML (Nawaz Sharif).
Although Jamali has hinted that the PML-N would also be invited
in due course to merge in the unified PML, even a child can guess
what would PML-N's answer be in a scenario when it is drawing
closer to Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party to become a
much unified force to lend support to ARD under Nawabzada Nasrullah
Khan for ousting Musharraf from power and to
save Pakistan's constitution from further rape by the jackboots.
Analysts
say all the Muslim League zeros put together in General Musharraf's
basket would not give him enough eggs to carry on his business.
Bhutto's PPP and PML-N together under ARD's banner make a greater
formidable political force than all the Tonga Muslim Leagues put
together and the military establishment as yet another political
party supporting it.
And
the taste of pudding is in having it tasted. Musharraf should
give up his uniform, become President of Muslim League as was
done by Ayub Khan and have elections under an independent election
commission and neutral interim government headed by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court with provincial chief justices as
its
members.
Although
Jamali has put before the united PML a tall order including running
the country efficiently, he, however, did not spell out how this
unified PML would end the current constitutional deadlock threatening
the very unity of the country.
Generally
unification has been taken with a pinch of salt. The wider
perception is that it is yet another attempt by the powers that
be to
conjure greater strength for the military establishment to sustain
itself in the present status quo now under a looming threat of
a challenge from the democratic forces to oust it once for all.
This
view is backed by Muslim League's post-partition chequered performance.
With the demise of both the Quaid and Liaquat Ali Khan-it passed
into a limbo only to be abused and exploited by the extra-constitutional
forces to play musical chairs in the game of politics. It virtually
became a chambermaid for the military-bureaucratic rulers in their
evil designs to usurp power. That is how in later history, it
made itself available—all painted, powdered and decked up
sitting in the window-for sale to the men on horse backs. And
this role has not reversed even to this day.
The
Muslim League has become in perpetuity a party of establishment
and every military ruler has found it to be ready to play the
role of a geisha in satisfying his lust for power. The very manner
PML-Q has come into existence places it in that position-not envied
by many, not liked by others. The only party that has withstood
the temptation, lure of power and the whip and the hanging is
Bhutto's PPP and now to some extent Nawaz's League has been braving
the pressure after having been ostracized from the fold of the
establishment.
By
joining hands together and forgetting the past, both are showing
political maturity and sincerity in purpose for struggling for
the restoration of democracy.
It
is said that unification of five factions of Muslim League-some
of them long time wired to the Praetorian establishment-had been
waiting for the signal-to rush to the help of the General caught
in the quagmire of LFO. The growing popular pressure is writ large
over the face of the administration that is neither here nor there.
That
is the reason that our President in uniform has been making desperate
efforts to unite parliamentarians and like-minded elements to
be proactive in a situation that is becoming desperate for him
with each passing day. The rushed reunification of Tonga groups
of PML is a sign of weakness of the Musharraf administration.
Now is the right time for the ARD and other democratic forces
to strike. They must stick to their guns on LFO and uniform. If
they surrender now it will be mother of all surrenders and posterity
shall not forgive them for that.
The
writer is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK under PPP
Government
