During 1991 Pakistan engaged simultaneously in the preservation of democracy, liberalization of its economy, and a reorientation of foreign policy. The year saw significant initiatives on all three fronts, but these encountered equally significant obstacles. The interplay of light and shadows left the people rather confused about the direction of their lives and the destiny of their country. The year really began in October 1990 with two events that continue to cast their shadows over the nation. One was the suspension of U.S. aid (October 1) and the other was the disputed national elections (October 24); the fallout from both these events largely dominated the national debate and determined the national agenda in 1991.
Confrontational Politics with a Ray of Hope
Peaceful and constitutional transfer of power is not the norm in Pakistan but this did take place on November 6, 1990, when Mian Nawaz Sharif was inducted as prime minister. For the first time in Pakistan's history, the ruling party (Islamic Democratic Alliance, commonly IJI1) enjoyed more than a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, and it was also the first time that the same party ruled at the center as well as in all four provinces. Though the opposition Peoples Democratic Alliance (PDA) had charged that the elections were stolen,2 its leader, Benazir Bhutto, departing from traditional tactics, did not take to the streets. She decided to work within the democratic framework, and Nawaz Sharif promised to reciprocate. But this restraint did not last long. Presidential references to special tribunals to look into charges of corruption and misuse of power by Bhutto and some of her ministers, the involvement of her husband in criminal cases, and the persecution of her party's rank and file in Sindh by the Jam Sadiq government vitiated the political climate. In rage against a ruthless establishment, Bhutto took the fight from Parliament to the people. She denounced the elections of October 1990 as totally rigged, described the Parliament as "bogus," and since April 1991 she has conducted a relentless campaign to oust the Nawaz Sharif government. She did not even seem averse to a military takeover. Nawaz responded in an Independence Day speech on August 14 in Lahore that was full of anger, hatred, and threats. The confrontation kept the political climate charged, the people on edge, and the country buzzing with rumors about a change in government either through a military takeover or a palace revolution The bickering, infighting, and the seemingly chaotic Pakistani political scene in 1991 should not cause undue alarm. It is the Pakistani style of politics, and if no extraneous intervention takes place, it may produce corrective action from within the system. Moreover, the heat and dust of confrontational politics should not make one oblivious to an interesting prospect-the beginning of a two-party system in Pakistan where there are more political parties than there are shades of opinion. The elections of 1988 and 1990 have reduced most parties to be, at best, locally influential. The two political alliances-the IJI and the PDA, with the Muslim League and the Pakistan People's Party as their respective standard bearers-have, emerged as the main contestants for power. Contrary to common wisdom, the PDA did not suffer a humiliating de- feat in the 1990 elections in terms of popular support. In the National Assembly elections, the difference in the popular vote received by the two alliances was less than one percent (IJI-37.27%, PDA-36.65%), although this was not reflected in the number of seats won (IJI: 105, PDA: 45).3 Not only were the two alliances well balanced in their vote banks but their programs were also complimentary. The ideological confrontation of the 1970s and 1980s was over. Both agreed on a domestic agenda of liberal democracy and market economy although they used different rhetoric and slogans to satisfy their respective constituencies. Even on foreign policy issues, the stances of the IJI and the PDA became identical after the IJI shed its anti-India, anti-U.S. rhetoric and came around to supporting a political settlement in Afghanistan. In fact, the two-party system successfully operated in the Punjab where the two alliances together captured 88% of the votes cast in the election. The provincial government and the opposition also developed a working relationship. The IJI record as a ruling coalition has been a mixed one. The government took credit for the passage of the Shariat Bill in May and the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution in July. The Shariat Bill declared the Quran and the Sunnah as the law of the land, not just the guideline.