On the Wrong Side of History By Yasir Shah We are trying to protect democracy. We are democratic people. We will not allow anyone to derail the democratic system. Words of wisdom from Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N? Or a futile attempt to distort facts and attempt to re-write their own history? Certainly, there is a touch of irony when Nawaz Sharif attempts to give us a lesson on saving democracy, as he conveniently attempts to bypass his own political history. History however cannot be altered, and facts remain facts. As Pakistanis, we are sometimes accused of having short or selective memories, so I would give Sharif the benefit of the doubt, and refresh his memory. Nawaz Sharif began his political career as a protégé of a military dictator, who had not only overthrown an elected Prime Minister but also ensured his execution through a dubious judicial order. As Zia Ul Haq’s ‘adopted’ son, Finance Minister Punjab Nawaz Sharif took out substantial government loans while in power and set up several mills such as Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Ramzan Mills, Brother’s Textile and Sugar mill to name a few. With a booming business empire created out of public funds, the Sharif family became one of the major tycoons in Punjab, a remarkable rags to riches story considering the family only owned one rolling mill in 1983. However, obedience to a military dictator came with several additional perks for Nawaz Sharif, as he was hand-picked by Zia Ul Haq as Chief Minister Punjab and celebrated by ensuring over 25 billion of loan amounts taken out by Sharif since becoming Finance Minister, were duly written off with direct approval from Zia Ul Haq. Clearly, democracy was not on Sharif’s mind when in a BBC TV interview conducted in 1989 after Zia-Ul-Haq’s death in a plane crash, he declared “I have great admiration for General Zia Ul Haq, he has done some very good work and set very good precedents in politics within the country which have had a healthy impact and I’d like to pursue those policies”. Was Nawaz Sharif referring to the Kalashnikov culture, religious extremism, suspension of human rights and privileges when he vowed to follow Zia Ul Haq’s policies? Or was he perhaps referring towards the looting of public funds, manipulation of general elections, and utilization of state machinery to crack down on political opponents and the international isolation of Pakistan? Facts and figures establish that it was a combination of both. Interestingly, while Nawaz Sharif’s financial corruption is well documented, his reputation for being a product of military dictatorship was enhanced through the late 1980s and early 1990s whilst receiving financial and logistical support by the ISI, under the umbrella of the hastily created IJI, which eventually became the PML-N. As detailed in the Asghar Khan case before the Supreme Court, the IJI had the blessings of the establishment and funds were distributed to Nawaz Sharif and the IJI in 1990 to ensure the defeat of the PPP in the general elections. General Asad Durrani, the former DG-ISI acknowledged in his sworn affidavit before the Supreme Court that he was ordered to disburse funds to the IJI by the then COAS Mirza Aslam Baig. The Supreme Court, in a rare and belated landmark decision in 2012, acknowledged that the 1990 elections were rigged and Nawaz Sharif, along-with several prominent politicians, received funds from the establishment in order to manipulate the elections and disenfranchise the voters of Pakistan. The Supreme Court’s decision, re-enforced the belief that Nawaz Sharif, while abusing state offices for personal financial gains, also conspired with forces to rig a general election, and steal the mandate of the Pakistani people. Let us evaluate this judgment for a moment. When a voter goes to the polls, he or she does so with the intention to support their party and candidate in order to shape the future of their country. When an election is rigged, by releasing state funds and machinery to logistically and financially support a particular party or candidate, the entire electoral process stands polluted. A stolen mandate is comparable to a military dictatorship, where the needs of the chosen ‘one’ are forced upon the people. Beginning his political career under a military dictator, becoming one of most influential members of the dictator’s inner circle, and rigging the general elections in 1990 as the establishment’s weapon of choice, Nawaz Sharif has proven throughout the years, he is the last person who should be speaking about the value of true democracy or indeed any threat to it. A true democracy is one where the majority dictates the outcome of an election, where public funds are not utilized to build a business empire, where loans are not written off using executive privilege, and where the establishment’s chosen one does not have a one-way ticket to power over the people’s wishes. Some in Nawaz Sharif’s party accuse Imran Khan and the PTI of being close to the establishment. They could not be further from the truth. Imran Khan has spent 18 years building his party from the grass roots level, to the very top. He has neither made money from politics nor has he accepted political office through the hands of a dictator. He has never looted public funds, and he has never conspired with forces to illegally bring down a government, a feat which Nawaz Sharif has accomplished twice by conspiring with Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Farooq Leghari to topple the governments of Benazir Bhutto. Quite frankly, history has proven Nawaz Sharif may be many things, such as a resourceful businessman, a certified expert in financial irregularity, and a compulsive liar, as many who have dealt with him over the years can testify. However he can never and will never, be considered a champion for democracy. Today, it suits Nawaz Sharif to dust off the constitution and attempt to portray himself as a democratic leader, fully subservient to the law of the land. This off course, is the same constitution he was attempting to re-write by planning to declare himself Amin-ul-Momineen in the late 1990s. Time has not done Nawaz Sharif any favors. He has not learned the lessons of the past, and today once again, after widespread documented rigging in the 2013 elections, Nawaz Sharif stands accused of stealing the people’s mandate, and disenfranchising the Pakistani people who braved several hardships and turmoil, in order to utilize their constitutional right to vote and shape their country’s future. Once again Nawaz Sharif is standing on the wrong side of history. It is another case of, Déjà vu. It took 12 long years for the Supreme Court to confirm the documented rigging of 1990, despite having access to sworn affidavits and documentation for several years. History will not be so kind the second time around. All eyes are on the Supreme Court to act and act now. Justice should be swift and sure. Those who have a past filled with corruption and lies, who have attacked the Supreme Court itself in 1997, who have attempted to buy loyalties and who have conspired to steal the people’s mandate, do not deserve any leniency. In the meantime, Nawaz Sharif should utilize the few remaining moments he has inside the Prime Minister’s office, to look at the picture on the wall of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and reflect on his deeds which have shaken the very fabric of the nation Quaid-e-Azam struggled to build. The end is near and the clock is ticking for the Sharif empire. Pakistan will rise once again. Democracy will prevail. The people’s choice will be heard. And as new leadership will guide our country forward, Nawaz Sharif and his party will retreat to a cold, dark corner of history and reflect on what could have been, yet will never be so again. For this, is now a NayaPakistan and the days of the dictators, and those who the dictators left behind, are finally over.

PTI Mianwali