All that starts well, should end well : Pakistan gets its interim PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar, "but he may be roped in a conspiracy"

Writing about Pakistan on the day of August 14th can easily leave an Indian with mixed feelings. Firstly, we need to wish well to our neighbour on its birthday. We follow them on August 15th. That's not a grudge. The issue is rather of a concern and it is also selfish !

Dear neighbour, you are not doing too well and it may not be good for us as well! We have the experience of helping creation of Bangladesh and that left Pakistan anguished and bleeding. But the 1971 development  also gave we Indians a permanently bad phrase to handle "illegal migrants" !   

Now on Mr Kakar, Pakistani newspaper 'Dawn' has cautioned:

"There are tangible fears that he may be asked to play a supporting role in a conspiracy to extend the caretaker set-up till such time as the country’s unelected decision-makers decide that the public may finally have a say in their future". It's edit and the 'pain' in penning those words could be felt. 

The 'Dawn' also says Kakar "must do all he can within his power to preclude this possibility" (that is extending the stint of the caretaker regime). Even the edit writer for the leading Pakistani newspaper would dispute that these are easier said than done.

Kakar probably knows who is his 'real boss' ! And without going much, I can share with readers that in India too at times people show 'dislike' for uniform. Our Indian Army have never staged a coup; and in the case of Pakistan, -- the great  adventurism with autocracy has been multiple times. If I can understand the reality, Kakar cannot say no his 'real boss' ! 

Pakistanis for their love for Urdu have very good sense of humour. So, let me confess that between the 'real boss' and wife; Kakar or anyone in his position would have to understand that wife can be 'wrong at times', for him the real Boss will be always right.  

But from the reports we get, my understanding is the caretaker regime has to do some extra mile running to rectify its economy.

"Economic stabilisation is the top challenge with the $350bn economy on a narrow recovery path after a bailout from the International Monetary Fund averted a sovereign debt default," says Aljazeera.com. 

"Economic reforms have already fuelled historic inflation and interest rates," it points out.  

Of course there is another issue. Political uncertainty is another major front after Imran Khan’s jailing and ban. There was no violence following his arrest, unlike in May when his supporters went on a rampage.

But, as the Aljazeera report points out. Imran Khan's continued detention will raise questions over the credibility of the election.

Getty image: Imran, Shehbaz and Bilawal

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 34, the young chairman of the PPP and son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is seen as a key candidate to win elections. He "made waves locally and in key foreign capitals" in his first government job as foreign minister in the outgoing government, and is widely seen as a future premier. His grand dad Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was also a foreign minister first before he became Prime Minister.  

Z A Bhutto as foreign minister in 1963 was a proponent of Operation Gibraltar in Kashmir, leading to war with India in 1965. After the Tashkent Declaration ended hostilities, he fell out with President Muhammad Ayub Khan and and was sacked from the military government. 

It is also argued that Shehbaz Sharif remains a front-runner to return to power.

His brother, three-time premier Nawaz Sharif is keen to return after his 'exile', but there is still a corruption conviction against him.

Can miracle happen? Can Imran Khan return as the Prime Minister again?

"With Khan in jail and barred from the polls, his PTI will hope to cash in on supporters’ sympathy and anger, and repeat its 2018 election victory," says Aljazeera.com.

In 2018, Imran Khan had risen to power by convincing the voters that he was the only clean politician in Pakistan - and that everyone else was corrupt. But in his exit, he harboured a feeling that everyone opposing him was/is not only corrupt but an American puppet and so a traitor. 

It is also true that Imran Khan's flip-flop on a variety of relations with the army also brought into light certain ugly things about the Pakistan army and its generals in public debate.

PS:

"Partition’s pains can never be forgotten," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2021 and announced that August 14th would henceforth be remembered as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.

"Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence" Modi had tweeted recalling the struggles and sacrifices.

There was something else happening in the 1940s. “Sir, I suffer from the congenial weakness of believing I can do anything”,– Lord Louis Mountbatten had reportedly told Winston Churchill when the all important offer of Indian Viceroy post was made to him. 

What would have been the course of Indian history had not protagonists like Mountbatten come around to decide about India’s history? In the words of Mountbatten’s predecessor, Earl Wavell (Viceroy from 1943-47), India and the British Raj then had already “reached a completely impasse” situation.

This ‘impasse’ actually relates to the gulf of difference several events and history had created between Wavell and the then Indian political leaders. 

But many would still wonder, What was supposed to be Mountbatten’s precise agenda?  

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