Politics
Good luck,
Mr. Gilani!

By Sarah Ziyad Syed

Pakistanis finally have a reason to be optimistic. After enduring some of our worst years in history, we have finally turned the corner and elected a civilian government and with it our 25th prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani. Celebrations were on a roll as we saw a fantasy coalition being formed when the PPP joined hands with PML-N and ANP at the centre, and gained the support of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman's JUI.  Soon enough, however, the honeymoon ended and the federal government came crashing down to reality; a reality that amongst other things included violent lawyers protesting in Karachi.

Mr. Gilani has been seemingly bold in trying to make a difference. Restricting ministers to 1600 CC cars, cutting the PM House budget and avoiding protocol are small steps that have been taken. But then, it's easy to make promises and even easier to not follow them through. We have learnt from the past and know not to believe it until we see it. There is a rickety road full of obstacles lying ahead of this 54 year old. Let's take a look at some of the challenges he faces today.

Pakistan's judiciary has been virtually suspended since March 2007 when the Chief justice was removed by Gen. Musharraf. People were mistaken in thinking that with the now government this problem would be resolved. Iftikhar Chaudary was also instated under the PCO by Gen. Musharraf, but it was legal then as he was acting as the Martial Law Administrator. On the other hand, as the acting president his 3rd November PCO was illegal, making all the current judges illegal as well. The PPP led government seems not to forgive and forget, constantly reminding Mr. Chaudary about his hard rulings of their prisoners, including Mr. Zardari, when they were held for years by Musharraf without charges. "Where were the lawyers then?" questions Asif Zardari. It seems this struggle of the lawyers demanding that Iftikhar Chaudary be reinstated, and the government arguing that they have the right to choose a new judiciary, won't end any time soon.

The war on terror is yet another concern for Pakistan. It has been seven years since US forces first invaded Afghanistan. The region has become impossible to govern and is virtually cut off from the federal government. The presence of the liberal and secular ANP party there, led by Asphandyar Wali Khan is, nevertheless, a positive sign. Islamabad has already made it clear that it will look at alternative options, a statement that has made the United States tense. Dialogue with the militants seems to be the order of the day, but the new government should be careful not to make the mistakes made by Gen. Musharraf, especially that of giving the Pashtuns the impression that it (the government) is an American puppet. A lot will also depend on who moves into the White House in 2009 and whether he (or she) can persuade the Pakistanis that this is a war against terrorists and not against Islam. Mr. Gilani must act now to combat fundamentalism.

Pakistan was recently ranked as the world most dangerous country by Newsweek. It is part of the low tier of countries (alongside Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Angola etc) in the Human Development Index and according to Transparency International, the 3rd most corrupt country in the world. This, along with CNN showing images of constant civil unrest in cities across the country, isn't good for our image. Mr. Gilani must address this problem by trying to improve the quality of life in the country, thereby helping civil servants and ordinary citizens. Along with the other innumerable issues, the provision of basic amenities and infrastructure is also lacking. Mr. Gilani clearly has a lot to do to live up to his PPP motto of 'Roti, Kapra aur Makan'.

All this may seem very difficult to achieve for the prime minister to tackle but it doesn't even cover half of the challenges our country is facing. Literacy remains at an abysmal 23%, energy demands are not being met and food prices are soaring. All I or anyone else for that matter can say is: 'Good luck, Mr. Gilani! You'll need it.'