Sunday, May 12, 2013

Pakistan; History repeats itself

How Pakistani leaders and army play hide and seek with each others and history repeats itself in a 16 years of time span. 

It is said that history repeats itself. In 1997, Nawaz Sharif takes the reins of Pakistan as the most powerful Prime Minister with the largest majority in the country’s history. However, He faces a military action and sacked by the then military chief Parvez Musharraf in 1999. The military chief becomes the chief executive of the country and exiles the sacked Prime Minister from the country. After two years, in 2001, he becomes President of Pakistan. United States starts pressurising him to get legitimacy for his post on the democratic way. In this circumstance, he gets a so called referendum in 2002 for the top post. This exercise approves his legitimacy of being the President. Now, Nawaz Sharif has no option to live in the exile.

Under international pressure, Musharraf resigns from the top post in August 2008. In the month of December, general elections takes place and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returns home. During the elections Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) head Benazir Bhutto’s assassination shocks the nation and a sympathy wave moves towards her party and her party PPP becomes the single largest party in the Pakistan National Assembly. In order to establish democracy in the country, a democratic government is formed by PPP with support of its arch rival Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (N), including some small political outfits.

Bhutto’s spouse, Asif Ali Zardari takes oath for the President’s post. Now, the exile time starts for Parvez Musharraf. Uncertainty continues, during the five years, the nation sees many Prime Ministers, even a Prime Minister faces arrest warrant by the country’s Supreme Court. Five years passes, Musharraf, returns Pakistan to contest elections. However, Pakistan court disqualifies his candidature and issues arrest warrant against him in the Bhutto assassination case in April 2013. Now, he is a fence sitter, election results has come out, Nawaz Sharif’s party PML (N) has got the position of single largest party in the National Assembly and Nawaz is going take the reins of the country once again.

History repeats itself, Nawaz has the powers and Musharraf is a prisoner. Muddai lakh bura chahe to kya hota hai, wahi hota hai Manzoor-e-Khuda hota hai.