How long will the competition to become the darling of the establishment last?
photo fileThe role of the establishment in politics must end. This is the principle that we all do and that is often heard in reviews and comments. It should be the same under the constitution and law, but it is not happening.
It is demanded that the establishment withdraw from politics and let politicians do politics. It is also said that because of the establishment's interference in politics, our democracy has remained pretty lame and has given nothing to the people. All this is true but there is another side to it and that is whether our politicians are really serious about stopping the establishment's interference in politics or not.
Historically speaking, this is a power struggle in which the establishment has always had the upper hand while politicians and civil governments have always lost this battle and that is the reason why we have lost hybrid or controlled democracy. It does not take the name.
Our tragedy has always been that our politicians have always used the shoulders of the establishment to come to power. Pleasing the establishment has always been the focus of our politicians' politics. If a politician is approved by the establishment, it becomes easier for him to gain power and politics. In such a situation, the opposition politicians sometimes talk about civilian supremacy and criticize the role of the establishment, but it has been seen time and again that the real effort of these opposition politicians is also to distance the approved view of the establishment from the establishment and themselves. The approval of the establishment should be made.
The race to come under the umbrella of the establishment has diverted our politicians from the real purpose of politics and public service and that is why governments come and go, sometimes the government of one political party and sometimes the government of another political party, but the people's government. Service, service delivery, performance, best governance and robustness of systems, remained an unfulfilled dream.
Nawaz Sharif became the prime minister three times, Imran Khan also ruled for three and a half years, PPP also got governments, but why is it that no one fixes a department like CDA in a city like Islamabad? Be it police system, finance department, getting electricity or gas connection or birth of a child or someone's death certificate, bribery and recommendation rule everywhere. In other cities, provinces and remote areas, government departments are faring worse.
Now the system has to be fixed so that the people get facilities, the work in their government departments is easy in a legitimate way, the police, the courts are active in giving justice, these are the tasks that require not money but intention and determination to build a system. But no one is ready to fix the system. People are fed up with repeated promises from politicians.
Politicians are more interested in pleasing the establishment than performance and good governance. Competition among politicians remains to be the darling of the establishment. Nawaz Sharif became the prime minister three times and now the way he returned from London and wants to become the prime minister for the fourth time has nothing to do with civilian supremacy.
Imran Khan is in jail and ever since he was released he has been pursuing a policy of confrontation with the establishment but his whole fight is aimed at pleasing the establishment. They want to settle their issues by talking to the establishment and not the legislators. The only problem with Bilawal Bachare is that what is lacking in him is that he is not being pampered. Leave the rest of the politicians and political parties aside, why don't the three major political parties of Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Insaf, PML-N and People's Party decide that none of them will ever discuss political matters with the establishment or help the establishment. He will gain power from and will not become a ladle. But I don't see that possible.
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