Political Uncertainty Persists In Pakistan
Muhammad Khurshid
March 14, 2008
Uncertainty and political crisis in Pakistan further deepened as the major political party that won majority seats in the recently-held elections is finding hard to choose a prime minister. Terrorists taking advantage of the uncertainty increased their activities. At the moment the whole tribal areas situated on the Pak-Afghan border are in their control. President Pervez Musharraf has summoned the session of new assembly on the 17th of this month.
According to a newspaper comment, Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the men at the helm of the PPP--PML--N coalition expected to lead the country once the new government is formed, have given the first clear--cut indication of how they intend to salvage the country from its current dire economic straits. Reasonably swift action on this front is vital, given that for most citizens, the misery inflicted by inflation is the most acute of their difficulties. Adopting a rather cynical tone, which belies their insistence that the PML--Q intends to play a positive role from opposition benches, leaders of the former ruling party say they are 'waiting to see' the improvements in the energy and food crisis the country has been battling with for months.
Now, Zardari and Sharif have, after a detailed meeting to work out logistics of the coalition, indicated that they attempt to make a joint approach to the Saudis for assistance. They will be seeking from the oil--rich kingdom an oil facility -- involving the provision of oil on deferred payments. It is hoped that such a facility would grant the country enough breathing space to recover from its present economic woes and offer people the relief they so desperately seek. The need for such an oil lifeline is all the more essential as a major fuel crisis has been predicted a few months down the line, with oil--marketing companies (OMCs) informing the caretaker setup that they lack sufficient finances to book orders to import essential petroleum--based products. Both the PPP and PML--N leaders seem confident their appeal to Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan's most staunch allies, will not fall on deaf ears. The Saudis have an especially strong relationship with the Sharif family. The safe haven in Jeddah granted to Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif and their families, after the military takeover of October 1999 and the subsequent death sentence in a hijacking case awarded to Nawaz Sharif, is said to have come about because of these ties.
It is also true the Saudis have bailed Pakistan out before. In 1998, an oil facility similar to the one likely to be sought now, helped the country survive crushing sanctions imposed by the international community after it tested nuclear weapons in the hills of Balochistan. Without this Saudi support, the plight of the country following the tests may have been far worse. Today too, the Saudis have remained closely engaged in Pakistan -- indeed at times apparently making an effort to micro--manage the country's affairs. The return late in 2007 of the Sharifs and an offer made at the end of the same year to the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry to visit Makkah as a means to ease the stand--off between him and the Musharraf regime, are just some examples of such intervention.
While the Saudi role in Pakistan has raised eye--brows, the fact is that at the present time Pakistan needs any help available. Without some economic relief, the current sense of chaos will continue. There is also the risk of a quick disillusionment with the elected leadership. As such, the strategy worked out by the PPP and the PML--N makes sense for the present and represents a practical measure to deliver on their promises. But the two leaders must remember that, in exchange, the Saudis may seek pledges too -- perhaps chiefly for 'stability'. This could mean an agreement not to rock the presidency for the moment. The coalition partners, particularly Mr Sharif, who has been the most strident on the judicial issue, will need to see how to handle this scenario, should it come about. And in the longer run, once the immediate crisis has eased, Pakistan needs also to devise policies to put its own economy on a sounder footing and thus avert the need to periodically fall back on allies, who may, despite their good intentions, have their own demands and agendas to pursue. In time, Pakistan needs to be able to stand on its own feet and ensure that the needs of its own people are always on top of any priority list.
The End
According to a newspaper comment, Asif Ali Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the men at the helm of the PPP--PML--N coalition expected to lead the country once the new government is formed, have given the first clear--cut indication of how they intend to salvage the country from its current dire economic straits. Reasonably swift action on this front is vital, given that for most citizens, the misery inflicted by inflation is the most acute of their difficulties. Adopting a rather cynical tone, which belies their insistence that the PML--Q intends to play a positive role from opposition benches, leaders of the former ruling party say they are 'waiting to see' the improvements in the energy and food crisis the country has been battling with for months.
Now, Zardari and Sharif have, after a detailed meeting to work out logistics of the coalition, indicated that they attempt to make a joint approach to the Saudis for assistance. They will be seeking from the oil--rich kingdom an oil facility -- involving the provision of oil on deferred payments. It is hoped that such a facility would grant the country enough breathing space to recover from its present economic woes and offer people the relief they so desperately seek. The need for such an oil lifeline is all the more essential as a major fuel crisis has been predicted a few months down the line, with oil--marketing companies (OMCs) informing the caretaker setup that they lack sufficient finances to book orders to import essential petroleum--based products. Both the PPP and PML--N leaders seem confident their appeal to Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan's most staunch allies, will not fall on deaf ears. The Saudis have an especially strong relationship with the Sharif family. The safe haven in Jeddah granted to Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif and their families, after the military takeover of October 1999 and the subsequent death sentence in a hijacking case awarded to Nawaz Sharif, is said to have come about because of these ties.
It is also true the Saudis have bailed Pakistan out before. In 1998, an oil facility similar to the one likely to be sought now, helped the country survive crushing sanctions imposed by the international community after it tested nuclear weapons in the hills of Balochistan. Without this Saudi support, the plight of the country following the tests may have been far worse. Today too, the Saudis have remained closely engaged in Pakistan -- indeed at times apparently making an effort to micro--manage the country's affairs. The return late in 2007 of the Sharifs and an offer made at the end of the same year to the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry to visit Makkah as a means to ease the stand--off between him and the Musharraf regime, are just some examples of such intervention.
While the Saudi role in Pakistan has raised eye--brows, the fact is that at the present time Pakistan needs any help available. Without some economic relief, the current sense of chaos will continue. There is also the risk of a quick disillusionment with the elected leadership. As such, the strategy worked out by the PPP and the PML--N makes sense for the present and represents a practical measure to deliver on their promises. But the two leaders must remember that, in exchange, the Saudis may seek pledges too -- perhaps chiefly for 'stability'. This could mean an agreement not to rock the presidency for the moment. The coalition partners, particularly Mr Sharif, who has been the most strident on the judicial issue, will need to see how to handle this scenario, should it come about. And in the longer run, once the immediate crisis has eased, Pakistan needs also to devise policies to put its own economy on a sounder footing and thus avert the need to periodically fall back on allies, who may, despite their good intentions, have their own demands and agendas to pursue. In time, Pakistan needs to be able to stand on its own feet and ensure that the needs of its own people are always on top of any priority list.
The End
Print
Email
