What actually is this "System"

System! System! System! Asif Ali Zardari and Sayyed Yusuf Raza Gilani inordinately talk about it, sometimes its being in danger and sometime reassuring that no threat is there to it. Maulana Fazlurehman seems extremely pined away in grief every time thinking about it. Feelings of desolation keep descending on Asfand Yar Wali about the safety of the system. Worries about its continuance constantly hunt Altaf Hussain, so no day goes without his appeals to shield it. Sharifs are in firm resolve not to let its survival get damaged and make us believe at daily basis that they will stand like iron wall to protect the system. Choudries of Gujrat too assure they will not allow derail the system and will come with crutches to bolster if it got tottered. What actually this ‘entity’ is only for it our ever-clashing politicians fall in with each other and are harmonious to defend it?

Defining the system the dictionary says: ‘ People sometimes refer to the government or administration of a country as the system.’ Here, when it is mentioned, the politicians, intellectuals and analysts obviously use the term in the very sense. But does keeping confined simply to the governance and administration is not tantamount to negating the economic reforms and social values in consistence with moral traits and religious teachings? And in case the system is let distracted from religious, moral and commonly accepted social traits how will its sustainability be assured? Leave alone lofty traditions, take the Qauid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as an example. He founded this country. There is no one other in the 63 years history of Pakistan claiming to have won respect more or even equal to him. But his unchallenged position as a leader never made him lose three of his most distinctive characteristics. Honesty, selflessness and unshaken principled stand on the issues remained the conspicuous features of his personality. If he had lived more the system in his leadership would have been more likely reflecting these features in the governance and administration.

Now let us glimpse how the present system, if it really deserves to be called a system, got created? Military dictator, Parvez Musharaf, in spite of all his arbitrary powers, was feeling the ground slipping away under his feet. His popularity was sliding towards zero and PML (Q) was not able to keep him stay. The rulers, particularly in our country, how unpopular they might have been, are seldom found ready to get give up the lust for power. The state of distress led him to nothing but bargain with the slain leader of PPP, Benazir Bhuto. For Bhuto family remaining out of power is the bitterest thing in their political life. Benazir was utterly sick of her self-exile and finding the ways to win over the military dictator for some type of deal. Four military generals in uniform, including the present chief of army staff, Ashfaque Parvez Kiani, several times traveled to Abu Dhabi and London to negotiate with Muhtarmah. Then a deal out of all ethical values was hatched.

NRO was an ugly brainchild of the negotiators to bring the fire and water work together. America, England and some of the Gulf States were working to create the union of opposites who had notoriety of having a sworn animosity against each other till then. Keeping Musharaf as the president and BiBi the head of the near future government after the election in November 2007 was the main point of the proposed formula for compromise. Not only Benazir and her spouse but many others were to be ‘baptized’ getting immersed in water of NRO as a sign they had never committed any sin of corruption. These were the seeds giving sprout to the present system, thought very sacred by all who are allies in power in all the four provinces and also MQM who had worked as obedient political servant of Musharaf in the previous regime.

Feeling the pulse of the masses and sensing Musharaf’s weaker position Benazir thought it absurd to go along with him and support his unpopular decisions. She took a turn and changed her stand on the issues like reinstatement of the Chief Justice and restoration of the judiciary on the position before it suffered the blow. It was a setback for the deal and it really embarrassed the brokers. In a rapid development the powers having the vital interests depending on the deal decided to get rid of Benazir and try Asif Ali Zardari. Only one face was to be replaced and entire ‘system’ had to remain as planned in the blueprint. Nawaz Sharif was kept out of the plan. Maulana Fazlurehman had made a place for him.

Election results were close to the plans. Only what was against the expectations was that the establishment refused to interfere in support of PML (Q). So the number of the seats Ch. Shuja’t Hussain had claimed in advance remained a dream. Nawaz Sharif’s faction showed a progress in Punjab. Zardari was very easily accepted as (co) chairperson of the party. He gained hold over the party without any resistance. Secular parties like MQM and ANP were in good bargaining position in Sindh and North Western province. Maulana Fazlurehman lingered behind with a little number of seats in the election but his pragmatic tactics worked as usual and was included in the allies.

Now the opportunist elements got hands in gloves to protect each other’s interests and provide covers to the corruption and manipulation. The things like national integrity, honesty, justice, transparency, good governance, delivering, solving the problems and bringing a solace for the people seem to have no place in this set up. What actually this is? But this notorious club of mutual interests has got the name of the system and all of them are determined to save it from going collapsed. Does any of these allies in the present set up have any view and image of the three characteristics of the personality of Qauid-e-Azam?