Apparently, the infamous game of cat and mouse, which the Muslim League and the Peoples Party played against each other in the 1990s, is being revived in Pakistan. In the past, both parties indulged in the politics of revenge, feud and witch-hunting, putting the country on reverse gear. When ousted by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, they joined hands and signed a document called Charter of Democracy (CoD) in which they vowed to forget their bitter past and work for a democratic Pakistan.
After the unprecedented event in Pakistan’s six-decade history wherein a democratically elected government handed over power to another elected government, one would have assumed that they had learned the bitter lessons and would avoid the politics of vendetta in the future. But apparently the Muslim League government has lost sight of the formidable challenges — terrorism and lawlessness, faltering economy, shortage of electricity, fuel and isolation in the international arena (John Kerry visited Delhi but deferred Islamabad trip) — it faces.
The government first announced to initiate a case of high treason against ex-President Musharraf, and is now taking steps to open money-laundering cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Swiss courts.
Can Pakistan afford these distractions at this crucial juncture? The Pakistan government should be more worried about the pressure it is facing from neighboring countries, including China, to “do more” against the terrorists targeting not only Pakistanis but foreigners as well.
The roots of terrorism need to be cut forever.
The government should rather take steps to attract foreign investment to combat power shortages. We have a long list of priorities.
But as it is said the only lesson we ever learn from history is that we never learn from history. — Masood Khan, Jubail
Politics of vendetta
