Mujhey Kyun Nikala (Why was I ousted)?

Mian Nawaz Sharif, after Supreme Court of Pakistan pronounced him as disqualified for being member of the Parliament and consequentially the Prime Minister, built and sold a narrative calling for the explanation for the reasons of his ouster from the Parliament and the office of Prime Minister.  In every subsequent statement, whether during his press conferences or public meetings, he had been asking only one question “Mujhey Kyun Nikala, covertly pointing fingers towards the army as an institution.  His heir-apparent daughter not only supported this narrative but also forcefully propagated and sold it to their followers. Regardless of the merit of this narrative, Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, however, did not explain to the people of Pakistan, in general, and his followers, in particular, as to how could the military bureaucracy become so powerful to oust him without being in the limelight.

Pakistani parliamentary system of government claims to be follower of British parliamentary system of government.  However, when we closely look at the British system, one could hardly find an instance where a British political leader or party had even held overt or covert meetings with any chief of army staff of British Army to conspire against his or its political opponent.  On the contrary, the political history of Pakistan is chequered with such meetings in abundance.

In UK, normally two political parties Conservative (popularly known as Tory) and Labour form the governments and despite their strong opposition to each other’s policies, none would ever conspire with any un-democratic force to dislodge the sitting government although they would publicly and in the parliament criticise each other’s policies.  The politicians of Pakistan also need to grow and follow democratic norms to get Pakistan out of political crises.

This wheeling dealing by the army started after Gen. Zia overthrew a democratically elected government of the country.  In order to legitimise his rule, he started bribing different politicians, either through pecuniary advantages or through bringing them to the corridors of power. It was the origin of culture of conspiracies by politicians against their fellow politicians with the blessings of the military bureaucracy just for the sake of lust of power.

It is matter of public record that the politicians now questioning the role of the army in the politics were, in fact, products of the culture of conspiracies they hatched with the blessing of their incubators. Their conspiracies included, inter alia, receipt of money from ISI for use against the sitting democratically elected government. 

Unfortunately, the politicians offered their shoulders willingly to the military bureaucracy in order to grab power without being sensitive to morality and ethics of politics.  It is also not denying fact that the politicians had been visiting the GHQ under the cover of darkness, with the objectives of either to dislodge the sitting government or to seek support for the Prime Minister of their party whenever he was under any political pressures.

Is it also not a fact that during political crises such as 126-days long sit-in by a political party against alleged rigging of elections of 2013 and then sit-in of a religious party at the interchange of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the sitting political government had sought help of military bureaucracy to help it out of these crises.  One wanders as to where lies the fault of army when the politicians invite them to help them out of political crises?

The army’s intervention in the political game would only be possible when they would find a space and opportunity to fill in.  The politicians provide them space through their collaboration with them for political mileage; through indulgence in massive corruption; bad governance and indifferent attitude towards economy and foreign policy.  It is a matter of fact, that Pakistanis as well as the Army are, rightly or wrongly, sensitive to their relations with India and Indian hegemony. The policy of the then government under Mian Nawaz Sharif vis-à-vis India had been one of the sore factors as far as civil-military relations were concerned.

The tug of war with the national institutions including that of the Army would never earn the politicians supremacy over all the institutions including the Army.  The good governance is the key to end this tug of war and to block the interference of un-democratic forces in the affairs of the government.  The politicians have to revisit their attitudes and to vow that they would never conspire against their political opponents in order to dislodge them from power.  

The political governments installed with the blessings of un-democratic forces would never been able to deliver or to take independent decisions and when faced with the Nawaz Sharif like situation, the narrative ‘Mujhey Kyun Nikala’ would take birth.  The politicians who are jubilant for their perceived victory should keep in mind the fate Nawaz Sharif has met with.