Leaders Who Could Not Lead

By Mahboob A Khwaja

Over the decades, Pakistani neo-colonial dominated politics failed to produce any leaders to lead the nation to a promising future. It will be rational to describe the Pakistani politics as being of the few, by the few and for the few. Under “Zardari’s Katrina” (Foreign Policy, Aug 4, 2010), Fatima Bhutto, the niece of late Benazir Bhutto enlightens the readers with sensational insights on Asif Ali Zardari, the self-made president of Pakistan. In “Pakistan at Crossroads” (12/2009), it was noted that Dean Nelson of the UK Telegraph (October 07, 2009), had made a pinching observation and asked: “Has Pakistan lost its honour?”
The article referred to Dr. A.K Khan’s much appraised Urdu write up “Ghairat” – honor a reflection on the current sad affairs of the nation. There are growing wall posters across the globe that Pakistan is a failed state, it is ruled by thugs and gangsters despised as the Pakistan People Party (PPP), and that Zardari is a known thieve who continues to operate without any impunity from the law and order agencies in Pakistan. Fatima Bhutto is no stranger but an insider of the Bhutto family and quite open to explain the tragic events facing the Pakistani people, not just the raging floods and loss of human lives but all the encompassing miseries, from poverty, human deprivation to moral and intellectual disabilities under the PPP governance.

While the masses were entrapped in life and death crisis, Mr. Zardari and five of his cabinet ministers were entertaining themselves in London Royal Suite at a daily cost of $11,160. But few conscientious British MP of Pakistani origin refused to meet with Zardari while in the United Kingdom. Is Zardari a fool or a qualified wicked person who does not care for the consequences of his behavior? Rationally, two distinct opposing characteristics such as piety and criminal behavior cannot be combined in one human character. There is ample recorded evidence to reflect on Pakistan’s continued shame – Zardari, the president, Recently the “Total Truth Sciences” (Google website, March 2010) listed “Ten Ways to Recognize a Fool”: Some of the indicators are quite startling and appear relevant to Zardari, if not in intent but in recognition of the facts of human personality. 1. A fool is anyone who despises wisdom, instruction, and correction from a proven mentor. 2. A fool is anyone who refuses to abandon evil even when corrected. 3. A fool is anyone who’s conduct does not change even after experiencing the painful consequences of their foolish actions 4. A fool refuses to admit his mistakes even when his pain is the obvious result of his actions. Some of the basic facts must be clarified about Mr. Zardari who was not elected president by the people of Pakistan but he camouflaged the outcome of the national assembly elections while his wife Benazir Bhutto was killed in a public rally, and informed sources point out that Zardari might have forged the will of Miss Bhutto to assume the co-chairmanship to become president through the backdoor conspiracy and blessings of the US political operatives in Pakistan. It was a done deal through the offices of the US Government that General Musharaf, the former dictator will be given a safe passage outside Pakistan in return to phase-in Zardari to the president house. Currently, General Musharaf is residing in $1.4 million mansion in UK under the British security protection.

How did Zardari became the president, raises many truth seeking eyebrows in Pakistan but he was already known to be Mr. 10%, the corrupt person who was indicted in Pakistan and Switzerland on corruption charges and money laundering scheme of things. You won’t get a straight answer if asked about the legitimacy of Zardari’s presidency. It is a puzzle that remains a puzzle as to how an indicted criminal can assume the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? Under the circumstances, Pakistanis appear more and more morally and politically deprived people chastised by God for a deliberate co-existence with the evil doers. When people live in darkness, they lose sense of direction. Conscientious Pakistanis MUST face the soul-searching question, how could thugs and criminals become leaders in Islamic Pakistan and rule the country for so long unless the people were also accomplice in this scheme of things? “Zardari takes lot of overseas trip” narrates Fatima Bhutto. Well, Zardari maintains high valued properties in France, Switzerland, UK and Dubai and elsewhere all with stolen money from his homeland, so he must keep the business as usual.

The national interest of Pakistan or the sufferings of the flood victims and thousands of reported deaths of the flood victims are not part of his mental faculties. Zardari is a businessman, and he is making money and doing that all over the world. It is just that his nation is helpless and deprived of any courageous leader to speak out the truth of which Fatima Bhutto is making reflection and all the wicked people all together to rule Pakistan, not to serve the cause of the masses who have lost everything in the floods and whose sufferings are their own, not understood or shared by the ruling elite under Zardari.

The writer specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution.

Leaders Who Could Not Lead | PKKH.tv

Leadership crisis: a hurdle to progress

AN economically dependent state cannot be self-sufficient and sovereign. Although Pakistan is an agrarian country teeming with natural resources, it is economically dependent on the IMF and foreign aid to stave off the economic decline. The country’s survival hinges on debts rather than on its own.

At present, the country’s foreign debt has crossed $55 billion and total debt-to-GDP ratio has crossed 61 per cent during the fiscal year, breaching the 60 per cent limit set under the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act according to the report of the State Bank.

The current government is once again serious enough to get more loans from the IMF, even though knowing the fact that a huge debt portfolio is one of the major factors driving the inflation rate high.

The absence of any efficient strategy for effective exploitation of the country’s resources and a viable mechanism for reviving economy reflects the need for a dynamic leadership which can ensure saving the ship of economy from being sunk.

Our country was the frontline state in helping the US when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan or during its ‘war on terror’ after 9/11. However, doing all this only made things worse for Pakistan as it brought the drug mafia, the Kalashnikov culture,
suicide attacks, extremism and chaos, and drone attacks on Pakistan’s soil.

Targeted killing in Karachi — the industrial and commercial hub of Pakistan — and frequent incidents of bomb blasts across the country have crippled foreign direct investment. This anarchic situation demonstrates utmost need for a leadership that must be a panacea for these menaces.

Today’s Pakistan desperately needs a stable leadership which can audaciously grapple with internal and external problems of every sort before it is too late.

ALLAH BUX NOONARI
Leadership crisis: a hurdle to progress | Newspaper | DAWN.COM