Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is nonetheless a democratic party. Since elections are in sight it has brought ahead its political programme to her foreign audience. As for its victory in coming elections is concerned, it is the concern of the rulers who are seeking a bail out. The best for Benazir is a hung parliament; the worst is that she has to work with Musharraf for next five years. Can she make her own way, is a million-dollar question.
The manifesto Benazir has unveiled envisions a new Pakistan focusing on Five Es: Employment, Education, Energy, Environment and Equality. Going by the contents of the document, released on Friday last, the People's Party has stuck to fundamentals of the traditional politics but worn a progressive look.
The leadership has sought consensus at best among the entirely distinct political and socio-economic systems like Islam, democracy and socialism by naively binding them together. The party will strive for peace and prosperity through preaching Sufi message and sidelining extremists through mobilising the youth, workers and womenfolk.
Economy will be put on a stable course through better management of water resources and bridging the yawning-gap between demand and supply of energy. The party has sought public-private partnership to move ahead on the economic front. PPP stands for liberalisation of economy but also believes in state intervention, possibly to correct the malaises of capitalism.
Status quo vs Change
The PPP has declared Islam its religion but has interpreted Islam in tradition of the great Sufis of the region -- Data Ganj Bakhsh, Shah Latif, Baba Farid and Shahbaz Qalandar. It stands for the religion that promotes love, tolerance and peace in the society, not the one that brings in jingoism and militancy. So, the PPP has endorsed the Islamic credentials of the state manifested through the preamble of the Constitution.
The nexus between religion and the traditional authority structure in Pakistan is infact well-known by academics and political analysts. Since its birth, the party has sought to maintain status quo in terms of socio-economic structure of the society that remains predominantly feudal. The Constitution of Pakistan, introduced in PPP's first tenure after dismemberment of Pakistan, requires the country to mold lives of the people according to the injunctions of Islam though minorities have been promised the liberty to practice their own religion.
The progressive elements of the society have not failed to point out that the Islamic characteristics of the state brought into effect by some provisions of the Constitution is the main hurdle in the emergence of Pakistan as a forward looking state. This factor has politicised religious institutions as the various groups with their own version of Islam have come forward to get Shariah implemented as law of the land. They launched a campaign to this effect to dislodge the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had already succumbed to their demand by banning liquor, declaring Friday a holiday and making relations with Muslim countries as the corner stone of country's foreign policy.
The PPP seeks to liberalise economy but the state control will also be ensured to protect the vital sectors of the economy -- agriculture will definitely remain party's passion. All the sectors of economy will remain open to investment and government will move only in the ones that fail to attract investment. The manifesto is not clear about as to how the growing trade deficit will be treated. Wherefrom the necessary funds will be made available for employment-generation projects?
The manifesto talks about rationalising the taxation policy and lessening the burden from middle and lower income groups. Though ambiguity persists regarding the compensation of loss to the national exchequer. With taxation is related the problem of representation in the Parliament. How the workers and peasants will reach assemblies is the point that has not been addressed at all. What is evident through the past practice as well as the election campaign of the PPP, the leadership is promising patronage to the marginalised sections of the society rather than a role in decision-making process of the party and the State.
The party has promised to undertake water conservation schemes but will undertake only mega-projects in this regard after developing a consensus involving the smaller provinces. No compromise will be made on the Kashmir policy but the process of composite dialogue with India will also continue in parallel.
The party has laid much emphasis on relations with Afghanistan. Pakistan, under PPP-led government will try to resolve disputes with neighbours through dialogue and non-intervention in the internal affairs of the strife-torn country. The party has set its agenda to bring the Fata at par with the rest of the areas of the country and will continue the policy of weeding out militancy from the area.
What PPP makes a difference?
Pakistan People's Party had played a crucial role in the politics of the country. It has always bailed out martial law regimes when they got into serious trouble and failed to continue in power. The eleven-year rule of Field Marshal Ayub Khan and his liberal economic agenda created gross social inequalities resulting into the phenomenon of 22 families. The regional disparities also grew, ending up in the disintegration of Pakistan.
PPP came to the fore: restored the image of the army, doubled defense budget, and launched nuclear programme to make the so-called 'Islamic' bomb. On the socio-economic front, PPP gave an Islamised constitution yielding to the demands of the mullahs, strengthened the hands of bureaucracy through nationalising industry and introducing land reforms that it 'failed' to implement.
Overall, ZA Bhutto left a legacy that the country still yearns for. The contradictions in the society have strengthened with the passage of time. The Afghan policy introduced by PPP ultimately led Afghanistan to chaos and anarchy. Benazir also nursed Taliban to strike the last nail in the neighbour's coffin. She is also proud of the nuclear and missile programme and has not pledged to rationalise defense budget or redefine the role of armed forces as per to the requirements of the global age.
Coming to the present scenario, the situation is not different from the one that prevailed at the time of PPP's birth. Benazir invited army to overthrow the Nawaz regime; she is there to bail him out. Musharraf has brought her back with full protocol of a political leader.
Between Benazir's landing in Karachi and filing nomination papers with Election Commission, the technocrats have pulled out from politics and GHQ has taken back its command stick from presidency. Musharraf is eagerly looking for a pretext to step down. The interesting aspect of this power game being played between army and Benazir is that ball is in the court of Nawaz Sharif who is not willing to strike a deal with the president, now without uniform. How long Musharraf will remain stranded in presidency, all depends on the 'shrewdness' of Benazir vis-à-vis involving Sharif in 'real politics'.
Postscript
Ground realities of international politics have changed. PPP will definitely look for a new but not a different Pakistan in future. Probably it was for the last time army was in power. Will PPP change its role as well? For a satisfactory answer of this question, one must keep in mind that the politics of stalemate by sustaining contradictions in the society makes the core interest of the party.
