Peanuts for the People

I can vividly recall a glimpse from my yesteryears’ journalism wherein former PM Benazir Bhutto had to face an odd moment from a Reuters correspondent. Karachi was bleeding then, yet she tried to put on a brave face, saying “all is in control”. The foreign scribe quipped, “Madam PM, but under whose control?” Fast forward: it’s déjà vu for her scion, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK alike.

The PPP, having ‘somehow’ clinched a simple majority in the legislative assembly of the Northern Areas, is wandering in the dark. It is itself not sure of the velocity of winds in the picturesque region and, likewise, of its political cross-currents. Many say it has ‘bargained’ the throne of Gilgit for a quid pro quo, as Karachi will soon become a Federal subject under the forthcoming ‘compromised’ 28th Amendment.

In AJK, the PPP stands battered too. The Valley is going wayward as the PPP’s Rathore government is fingers crossed. It hardly has a say, as things are hybrid in essence. Gilgit and Muzaffarabad are turning out to be PPP’s Waterloo, with the sole consolation that it is still in ‘power’. Even its die-hard supporters are questioning as to why the PPP prefers to be part of the ‘coalition of unwilling,’ which is a sinking ship anyway. The PPP has surely taken a shot in the dark. This is where the plot thickens. Concerns about democratic traditions, the rule of law, the constitution, human rights, and political pluralism have surprisingly taken a back seat. It is surely risking its political currency.

What is happening in AJK is the corollary of the politics of core Pakistan. The Kashmiris, however, are more resilient, introspective, and assertive. They want to erect a new edifice of ‘untamed’ governance. The 38-point Charter of Demands from a peerless and apolitical nexus, JAAC, is against elite capture and thoroughly nationalist. Thus, it faces structural impediments as status quo wielders do not want to give in. The result is chaos. The unrest was a loss of face for Islamabad in one of its strategic assets.

The Iranian Embassy has led from the front. The versatile Ambassador, Dr. Reza Amiri Moghadam, is at the fulcrum of mediation undertaken by Islamabad. Though an ultra-nationalist Foreign Service official, Dr Moghadam is always with a listening ear. That is what makes him indispensable. He mustered the Who’s Who of religio-political stakeholders at his mission on June 2 and turned the get-together into a Victory-Marshalling event. It was startling to see their unanimity for Iran, sans-sectarianism.