A whole barrage of rather bellicose statements issued forth from the press conference held by PPP leaders on Friday explaining their point of view over boycotting the presidential poll. On the same day, all seemed to be forgotten between two parties usually at loggerheads and the PML-N’s delegation led by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was rather ludicrously garlanded by MQM workers at Nine Zero who evinced their unconditional support to the PMLN presidential candidate.
But Senator Raza Rabbani was somewhat bitter; he said during the press briefing that their party’s struggle was not only against the military but the civil dictatorship as well. His observation that president is the symbol of the federation is not in doubt but what guarantee is there that a candidate only from their own party or of their choice would have lived up to the federations’ expectations.
And what makes him assume that the next president, that is, by the PML-N is invariably going to usher in an era of civil dictatorship. Another bitter and unguarded remark was made by Amin Fahim who stated that since they do not accept the election process, how could they accept its product.
Picking holes in someone’s choice of the candidate is a rightful part of the democratic process, but belligerently refusing to accept the election of the President of the country smacks of churlishness. Senator Rabbani would have been a fine choice for President, also. He was put forward by his party as one of its best. If only the party had instructed him to stay in the game and try his hand, instead of giving up and adopting an unsportsmanlike attitude, it would have been a much maturer response from the PPP.
PTI’s posturing vis-à-vis the PPP has elicited praise from the Prime Minister as well. If any party can have its PM and President, it is democracy that allows that freedom The PPP has just ended an era of being in power in the center and holding the Presidency. President Zardari is to be commended and will be remembered for the 18th amendment, which fundamentally changed the nature of the office of the President.
The PPP does not have the federal government anymore and neither does it have a shot in the upcoming Presidential elections; however hard coming to terms with reality may be, it should not be as bitter as it seemingly is.