When Pakistan’s notoriously corrupt, brutal and occasionally clumsy police officials recently ordered a security clampdown near the home of an increasingly visible Islamic scholar in the central city Lahore, few immediately realised the consequences of that move.
But several days later, the decision has clearly highlighted an increasingly belligerent style of Pakistan’s present-day politicians who appear eager to curb dissent, irrespective of the political cost.
Though the episode in Lahore may have been short-lived, it gained a life of its own thanks to the appearance of Gullu Butt, a local Lahore thug armed with the reputation of being a political problem-fixer of sorts for ruling politicians. Across Pakistan, he is now widely recognised for his association with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in collaboration with Shahbaz Sharif, chief minister of the populous Punjab province, of which Lahore is the local capital.
When a heavy-handed police crackdown was carried out outside the home of Tahirul Qadri, an anti-government Islamic scholar, Pakistan’s increasingly robust private TV channels immediately latched on to the ‘Butt phenomena’ which showed Gullu Butt visibly on a rampage. Armed with a long stick, Butt smashed cars parked near Qadri’s home with the apparent purpose of demonstrating the government’s determination to curb its political opponents.
To make matters worse, Butt embraced a senior police officer before beginning his charge. More noteworthy was the presence of uniformed policemen watching him from close by as he continued his relentless rampage. Butt was subsequently arrested, though only after the case gained widespread publicity on local TV channels and caused fast-growing embarrassment to the Sharif duo. This entire episode may have been meant to scare off Qadri from his planned return to Pakistan from Canada to challenge Sharif’s government.
Yet the use of brutal tactics indeed backfired. Notwithstanding the reported killings of at least 12 of his supporters by the police while the Butt rampage continued, Qadri returned to Pakistan with just a bit of a bang in the past week. Though Sharif’s government blocked his aircraft from landing at Islamabad airport and diverted him to Lahore, Qadri’s triumphant return to Pakistan was all too visible. From being a relatively peripheral political player, Qadri has jumped to the centre-stage of Pakistan’s politics and his rise may continue for a while.
On Thursday, senior Pakistani officials revealed that the federal investigation agency (FIA), the highest police investigation outfit, was ordered by Sharif’s administration to investigate the sources of funding for the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) or Pakistan popular movement, led by Qadri. Exactly why Qadri and his group were singled out for such a probe in a country where every political party, including the PML-N, deserve to be similarly investigated is indeed obvious. Pakistan’s ruling elite are just too eager to tighten the screws around the latest challenger to their authority.
Penchant for settling scores
And yet, such moves clearly highlight a panic-stricken mood across the power corridors of Islamabad. Sharif and his lot have chosen the wrong tactic and an equally wrong target. Perhaps their nervousness descends from a rapidly failing government which has proven to be a disappointment a year after Sharif began an unprecedented third tenure as Pakistan’s prime minister. His comeback was nothing short of historic having been removed earlier in a 1999 military coup led by General Pervez Musharraf.
But rather than deal with the toughest challenges confronting Pakistan, notably an out of control security environment and a partially runaway economy, Sharif has shown an apparent preference for settling scores. His government’s relentless pursuit of prosecuting Musharraf on charges of treason related to events in 2007 when the former army chief imposed a nationwide state of emergency, clearly highlights Sharif’s determination to settle scores for the 1999 coup.
Of greater consequence to the future of Pakistan perhaps has been a visibly clumsy way of tackling the security challenge posed by the Taliban. A delay spanning over several months in granting the go-ahead to the Pakistan army to launch a vigorous new campaign in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region may have given an edge to the militant Taliban. At the very least, the Pakistan army’s position may have been compromised by virtue of the preparation time gained by the Taliban ahead of the battle.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s economic outlook remains far from satisfactory. A year after Sharif and his hand-picked former accountant Ishaq Dar, now the finance minister, together promised to lift Pakistan’s prospects, the signs on the economic front are far from encouraging. A chronic energy shortage continues to make millions of Pakistanis miserable on a daily basis, with no apparent end in sight to wide-ranging electricity and gas shortages.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s outlook in other crucial areas such as the crucial matter of attracting new investments is far from satisfactory. While many businessmen nervously wait for signs of a sustainable economic recovery, the ruling structure has busily delved in controversial pursuits such as overseeing the construction of large infrastructure projects. Clearly, there is just no single-minded focus with an unquestioned determination to tackle the gigantic energy crisis as well as acute water shortages across the country.
On Friday, Imran Khan, the cricket star turned politician and opposition leader, set an August 14 for authorities to respond to his compelling questions to alleged fraud in last year’s elections, failing which he would lead public protests in Islamabad.
Irrespective of how far Khan’s allegations can be proven, the Sharif-led ruling structure only has itself to fear the most.
Judging by the overkill in blocking Qadri’s real or imaginary political rise, it is possible that the ruling structure will rely on brute force to block Khan’s onslaught. Clearly, Pakistan’s political rulers may have embarked upon a political suicide quest at a time when the country needs to stand united.
Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.
