Articles of the year 2009

The incompetence of the president's team is very obvious, and threatens to take down his government whose slide is accelerating at a dizzying pace.

Starting with the Ministry of Interior, whose first assignment was the personal security of beloved Benazir, her shahadat was the first security lapse under Rahman Malik. These lapses have become worse, and today our cities wear a besieged look. People are too terrified to venture out. The incumbent president also remains in the presidential palace which has been additionally fortified to withstand even a huge direct missile hit. With this mindset, his visits to Pakistan have become restricted, and except for one hurried trip to give solace to the GHQ injured, accompanied by the army chief, he has been conspicuously absent. Not realising that as supreme commander of all Pakistan, he must lead. Of all world leaders he is the least visible, except on TV which makes for disastrous PR. Moreover, trying to address a Mochi Gate crowd by telephone circuit seemed quite absurd. It is destroying his image of a brave fighter. Surely, if the presidency is too much for his nerves, he should make way for someone else. There are some important aspects of being president, one being the leadership of the nation, which entails setting an example for the youth to emulate, so that society itself may improve, by becoming better citizens. And of course our brave soldiers facing death at the hands of a vicious enemy. If the leader is viewed as being afraid of his own shadow then we may ultimately allow the enemy victory without a shot being fired!

Nevertheless, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto set a very high standard of bravery which paid rich dividend in loyalty of her followers at the cost of her life. Certainly, leadership can demand the ultimate sacrifice. She scoffed at danger and challenged death. The timing and manner of her death predicated some serious players having participated in the murder, and we must infer that the removal of Benazir was a first step. But to what end? Surely, the next moves could be even worse for the nation?

President Zardari must come out of his palace and face the world. To remain in his shell leaves the country without a head. This cannot and should not continue. Or he must give all powers to the prime minister. Undoubtedly, we must have a functioning leadership. It is growing increasingly obvious that the president's advisers are casting him in a different role. He obviously is physically safer, but the country's enemies are growing stronger and bolder. The president needs to wake up. He should begin by sacking his minister of interior, and appoint a new brave man who should be competent. Certainly, not one who spreads an aura of fear. This is the reason that Imran Khan is so admired. He despises the bullet proof barriers, and cars. He may not last long but Pakistan will have got its money's worth!

Moreover, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the prime minister has become a rubber stamp for the president, leading to a multiplication of incompetence, covered aptly by the old adage that "a chicken between two mullahs will be haram" - benefiting neither. The president should decide that if he cannot function full time, then he should let the prime minister get on with it. Then the prime minister must choose a new Cabinet - his not the president's. And start running the country.As per the latest newspaper reports the president is the 10th richest world leader, a truly remarkable achievement for the head of one of the poorest nations on the planet with an estimated 90 million people living on less than one dollar a day. Surely, he has better places to enjoy his wealth rather than be cloistered with dour inefficient bureaucrats whose best services are of obsequious sycophancy, not to mention the starving millions. Mr President your money can get you much classier sycophants - better looking too. So enjoy it while you can. In the meantime, apply your knack for making money to earning some for the country. And let someone else get on with running the country full time for the country is suffering. The nation is at war and we need a decisive and visible leadership.

We should tell the Americans that the cost of democracy in Pakistan has proved to be painfully high. In fact there is something endemically wrong in our system - the very system that Nawaz Sharif wants to save. We should be asking to be saved from the system, one that has brought us to this sorry state. We must allow this system to sink, bring it down complete with some of its corrupt, credit card stealing, abusive members with their $30,000 shoes, who pay no taxes, and are bent upon eking out the next three more years at our expense. Please spare us Mr President and exercise 58-2(b) as soon as you can. Call a fresh election and let us start again - without the current set of thieves or what will be left after the NRO has done with them.