There has been much fuss both in the national as well as the international media with respect to the presidential candidature of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, the Co. Chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party. Most of the stories hit hard at him. The allegations range from corruption and betraying the BB legacy to his mental incapacity and owning large empires of wealth and assets. The ‘Times Online’ carries a story suggesting that Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
‘The Economist’ comments on Zardari`s Candidacy for President of Pakistan;
“For a man accused of massive corruption in his murdered wife`s two governments, on account of which he has spent eight years in prison, where his lawyers said he became depressed and demented, this is quite a turnaround….. At the least, it would make the PPP accountable for its handling of the country`s twin crises: a plunging economy and spiraling Taliban insurgency……..”
I personally think that PPP should be given a fair chance to complete its innings on its home ground lest it is packed home immaturely and it fights its case with the public arguing that it was not sinning but have been sinned against. Even the next government should be given a similar chance. Only after allowing them to have full terms that the people would be able to decide about the good and bad. This should not be taken by the incumbent government to be a sort of carte blonche by the incumbent government. This would levy an equal responsibility on the same to respect the democratic rules and let the PML(N) governs the province of Punjab in accordance with the mandate that it has won as a result of the February elections.
Remember Democracy is the self-regulatory system; it`s like riding a bicycle; the more you stumble and fall, the greater chance you have to master the art of cycling. Abandoning cycling with the fear that it would collapse and we would hurt, is not a very good recipe.
Democracy is like flowing water. Allowing it to have an uninterrupted flow would result in the settling down of the impurities. The crux of the argument is that it is high time that we try the norms and rules of a democratic system. The process would not be free of risks and troubles but ultimately we would have to master it. Pakistan being a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country cannot afford the other way round. The dictatorships, both civilian as well as military have given an irreparable damage to the system; we have dismembered; we have been running by fits and starts; we have been the sufferers of the worst sectarian strife.
Now, around this murky circle, there is only murk, but at the outer edge of the same there is a silver lining i.e. Democracy that is the road to the stability of Pakistan. Devoid of democracy, we would grope in the dark; without freedom of expression and freedom of association and that of profession, we would continue hurtling down. We must be at liberty to express ourselves in a myriad of ways. That is the formula of social development and national integration. The more gregarious and versatile our society is the more glued it would be.
AMER RIZWAN KHATTAK
‘The Economist’ comments on Zardari`s Candidacy for President of Pakistan;
“For a man accused of massive corruption in his murdered wife`s two governments, on account of which he has spent eight years in prison, where his lawyers said he became depressed and demented, this is quite a turnaround….. At the least, it would make the PPP accountable for its handling of the country`s twin crises: a plunging economy and spiraling Taliban insurgency……..”
I personally think that PPP should be given a fair chance to complete its innings on its home ground lest it is packed home immaturely and it fights its case with the public arguing that it was not sinning but have been sinned against. Even the next government should be given a similar chance. Only after allowing them to have full terms that the people would be able to decide about the good and bad. This should not be taken by the incumbent government to be a sort of carte blonche by the incumbent government. This would levy an equal responsibility on the same to respect the democratic rules and let the PML(N) governs the province of Punjab in accordance with the mandate that it has won as a result of the February elections.
Remember Democracy is the self-regulatory system; it`s like riding a bicycle; the more you stumble and fall, the greater chance you have to master the art of cycling. Abandoning cycling with the fear that it would collapse and we would hurt, is not a very good recipe.
Democracy is like flowing water. Allowing it to have an uninterrupted flow would result in the settling down of the impurities. The crux of the argument is that it is high time that we try the norms and rules of a democratic system. The process would not be free of risks and troubles but ultimately we would have to master it. Pakistan being a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country cannot afford the other way round. The dictatorships, both civilian as well as military have given an irreparable damage to the system; we have dismembered; we have been running by fits and starts; we have been the sufferers of the worst sectarian strife.
Now, around this murky circle, there is only murk, but at the outer edge of the same there is a silver lining i.e. Democracy that is the road to the stability of Pakistan. Devoid of democracy, we would grope in the dark; without freedom of expression and freedom of association and that of profession, we would continue hurtling down. We must be at liberty to express ourselves in a myriad of ways. That is the formula of social development and national integration. The more gregarious and versatile our society is the more glued it would be.
AMER RIZWAN KHATTAK
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