No more democracy. When the Prime Minister keeps referring to an unelected emperor (Zardari) for every single decision of note, there is no democracy, or government for that matter.
The current elected govt ran the whole campaign on a single theme – that of restoring the judiciary, and are now trying to convince the country that that promise wasn’t actually promise, it was more of an intention, and even though they won’t actually follow through, the intention will remain!
The whole world is watching on in horror, as there is no one at the rickety bus which is Pakistan. The NYTimes very politely puts it: “Leadership Void Seen in Pakistan”:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/world/asia/24pstan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all – a few excerpts from the article are below:
bq. Pakistan is in a leaderless drift four months after elections, according to Western diplomats and military officials, Pakistani politicians and Afghan officials who are increasingly worried that no one is really in charge.
The problem is that local politicians don’t read, so they still don’t know what is going on. Not they they ever know, but these days it’s really gotten ridiculous.
bq.. The American commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. Dan K. McNeill, also described the government as “dysfunctional” just before leaving his post earlier this month.
**“I have a feeling that no one is in charge and that is why the militants are taking advantage,”** Mr. Masood said. “It is a very dangerous situation because what is happening is the Afghan government is getting desperate.”
The frustration is such that President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan threatened this month to send troops into Pakistan to pursue Pakistani militant leaders.
p. Things have gone really bad when even Afghanistan is threatening to invade you! It’s one thing if the world’s sole remaining superpower goes about bombing you every now and than, but to have Afghanistan threatening to invade….
bq. …Parliament, tied up with budget negotiations until next month, has not discussed security or militancy. “We do understand this is the biggest issue, and after the budget session it will have to be addressed,” said Farah Ispahani, a Pakistan Peoples Party legislator.
Even the NY Times gets it wrong when it comes to Pakistan. Parliament doesn’t debate anything. The budget was sprung upon the legislators one fine day, who looked at all the numbers in dread and quickly signed off on it before they fainted from the exposure to so many numbers and words.
bq.. Meanwhile, the military under General Kayani has quietly pursued its own policies, politicians from the government coalition, diplomats and analysts say. The military and ISI negotiated a little-known truce with the tribes and militants of North Waziristan just days before the Feb. 18 elections, a senior government official in Peshawar confirmed.
The deal was so secretive that few in the government know its contents even today. **”The civilian government is in the back seat, or not even in the back seat,”** said the Western diplomat, who did not want to be identified because of the critical nature of the remarks.
p. I wonder if they even know where the back seat is, let alone be in it.
bq. More fighting and violence is almost certainly on the horizon. What the plan will be then, no one seems to know.
That aptly sums it up. In fact, the heading of this blog post is wrong, as there never was a fully formed government to crumble – it was always a motley collection of assorted crumbs, eggs and what have you nots..