They cling to power in spite of no moral justification to do so. They epitomize a state of mind built upon dynastic longevity, deceit, personal gain, nepotism and the notion that justifies all manner of means to reach their ends. They fail to comprehend the fact that everything they do, runs contrary to the ideals that our Founding Father held close to his heart. Their morally bankrupt nature seduces them to issue rhetoric watched by millions of television viewers only to act contrary to what they have stated publicly. These my dear readers, are Pakistani politicians, who have ruled this country taking turns and making millions in the process.
I am a firm believer in ‘Mukaafaat e Amal’ and latest events have strengthened this belief. It was irony in its extreme manifestation, when the Prime Minister requested the Army Chief to intervene and resolve the ongoing political crisis. I heard the Minister of Interior say so on television and saw the breaking news on a private channel accused of carrying the government cause. I was livid, when the story was denied on the floor of the Parliament and an alternate spin issued to the public only to be ‘blown away’ by a terse and to the point release by ISPR that reiterated the fact that the Army had indeed been requested to facilitate a resolution of the standoff.
Instead of dignified silence, the Minister of Interior held a press conference in the late hours of the evening. This event turned out to be one of the biggest farces ever seen on media. The honorable gentleman did his utmost to justify what his Party Leader had said on the Parliament Floor, but only managed to do more damage to himself and his Party.
By denying that the Chief of the Army Staff had not been requested to intervene, the PM committed the biggest mistake of his checkered political career. Direct or indirect attempts to tarnish the reputation of the Armed Forces may be digested and even applauded by corrupt political parties now sitting in the opposition and fearful of across the board accountability that might net them too, but patriotic Pakistanis will not tolerate any move to sully the Army’s character. It appears that both Imran Khan and Dr. Tahirul Qadri have slipped into PML-N’s decision making loop, causing the Party leadership to commit back to back errors and then resort to knee jerk damage control with crudely fabricated lies.
If one looks at the courses open to the PM and his brother, not tendering their resignation has become a ‘non option’. With two choices staring him starkly in the face, Mr. Nawaz Sharif needs to take a deep breath and for once extricate himself from a delusionary state of mind into the real world. He should understand that his colleagues from both sides of the Parliamentary aisles are miring him deeper and deeper into a situation which is of his own making. The most viable option for him is to ask his brother to resign and go on leave himself, pending completion of the Judicial Commission probe and its findings, which will determine his fate. This will enable his Party to continue governing the country, keep democracy on track and offer him much face saving. Failure to follow this route will undo all that has been done so far to consolidate a democratic system in the country.
Let there be no doubt however, that no democratic dispensation in the Land of the Pure will work unless we make radical changes in our political and social system. An essentially critical part of this change will be to eradicate dynastic politics and create conditions that throw up alternate middle class leadership. It is only then that Jinnah’s Pakistan will truly and surely be celebrated.

n    The writer is a freelance columnist.