Lets now move on to the democratic era of the 90s when after the death of Gen Zia in a (convenient) plane crash, elections were held in 1988 and Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan triumphant after so much suffering and exile. But as is the norm in Eastern societies, her govt soon came under corruption charges due to the involvement of her husband in shady business deals etc and the race to reward her party loyalists through commissions etc. Also the opposition in the form of Nawaz Sharifs party was activated by the anti-PP establishment (read the Pro-US Army and bureaucracy). The mullahs were activated to propagate the anti-women philosophy of Islamic leadership---a Muslim nation cannot be governed by a woman. Nawaz Sharif proceeded to buy the members of National Assembly (with monetary help from Osama bin Laden) to break up the fragile govt of Bhutto and the govt was sent home by the President ostensibly on corruption charges. Then elections were held in 1990 and Nawaz Sharif came to power with good majority in Punjab and in National Assembly. He and his brother Shehbaz Sharif, who was ruling in Punjab, proceeded to strengthen their hold on the govt. Their main bent was to privatize important state corporations, and also education and health. So a private sector educational set up emerged that deepened the divide between Urdu medium lower class and English medium upper classes. Instead of providing universal education to all citizens in urban and rural areas, this basic right has increasingly been taken away from the most downtrodden and only the rich upper classes can now afford the best education at all levels. Privatization program also led to further economic fragmentation. Shady business and commission taking reached its zenith in the Nawaz Sharif regime, while Nawaz Sharifs attempts to assume total political power and wrest it from the Army also led him on a collision course with the establishment; and this govt was also sent home by the President on corruption charges. Both Bhutto and Sharif took one more term each till the end of the 1990s when the country almost reached a default status due to inability to pay IMF loans, while Nawaz Sharif tried his best to assume total political power by getting an amendment to the Constitution passed by his 2/3 majority that would make him Ameer al Momineen (Leader of the Faithful) for life! His Machiavellian attempts were challenged by the Supreme Court and he got his party loyalists to attack the Supreme Court and frighten the judges into submission, he also clamped own on the newspapers that tried to expose his corruption and despotism. After his efforts to weaken the Army by picking fights with every Army Chief under him, his govt was at last dismissed through Musharrafs Martial Law which was celebrated by all political parties and ordinary people. Even the Supreme Court supported the take over--so sick was everybody of Sharifs political intransigence and clumsy governance, inflation, joblessness, poverty, and general socio-economic decay.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:01:22 +0000
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