Press Gallery

Now the field is open to everybody

Iqbal Choudhry

The Supreme Court's decision to scrap the BA condition for contesting election brought joy in faces of politicians who were not graduates.

Several seasoned politicians will benefit from the verdict. Among them are Chaudhry Akhtar Ali Warrio and Ch Anwer Aziz. But one who stands to benefit most is Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. The decision will pay the way for him becoming prime minister. Politicians have described this condition as a conspiracy against them. Religious forces viewed it with disdain. Now the field is open to everybody.

An unexpected question raised during the National Assembly session was about the total number of military personnel who have been decorated with medals over the last ten years. There is no doubt over Pakistan Army's professionalism and gallantry but the medals awarded during the Lal Masjid operation are debatable.

Tariq Aziz ud Din, Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan, is a nice guy. He is a popular figure both within and outside the foreign office due to his qualities. There are tall claims from the government side about progress in his kidnapping case. A lawmaker, belonging to the Federal Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) disclosed that some locals have found out Tariq's car disappeared somewhere in Aurakzai Agency. He argued if locals could trace a kidnapped diplomat, why the government with huge resources at its disposal was clueless about the kidnapping.

The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) has come in for a lot of criticism. Even some top-class politicians are against NRO. The general public believes the politicians who looted national wealth have been let off the hook.

David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary, has visited Pakistan twice recently. He has evidence of presence of Al Qaeda alongside the Pak-Afghan border. Lawmakers think he has come this time to seek permission for possible strikes inside Pakistani territory. Miliband feels uneasy whenever somebody links the Kashmir dispute and FCR to British rule, though it is an open secret and he should admit it.

The parliamentarians are annoyed with engines of their three-year old cars causing pollution in the country. It is a genuine reason. But they have never objected to lifetime chairmanship of political parties in Pakistan. It is a kind of dictatorship. As per democratic norms, the political parties have to refine the old system of chairmanship under which a person and his heirs enjoy the party leadership.

Two, three or five-year terms should be fixed for chairmanship of a political party, which will provide a level playing field for others.