When Aftab Sherpao got up for his speech in the joint parliamentary session and started to lambaste Imran khan, everyone knew the source that provided him such energy, especially at this age. It was surely not his love for democracy or Nawaz Sharif. Nor was it the protesters outside of parliament who are protesting for electoral reforms and investigation into the rigging that was done in 2013 general elections.
It was because PTI government in KP had expelled two of his ministers over corruption charges and had ended its coalition with his Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).
Even though Aftab Sherpao made every effort to give the impression through his speech that he was deeply concerned about democracy and democratic setup, his political career and all his actions clearly goes against him.
Sherpao’s political career is severely dented by corruption charges. He is a beneficiary of the notorious National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) which was promulgated by Pervez Musharraf to pardon 8041 persons who had corruption charges against them.
There were different corruption cases registered against him such as misuse of authority, illegal plots allotment, and other illegal assets made by him while he was Chief Minister of KP back in 1988 and through other important ministerial positions he had held. Using NRO, all these cases were quashed without any further investigation.
He was a staunch supporter of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and served as interior minister under him.
When Mr. Aftab talked about democracy, rule of law, and was all praise and love for Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef, he seemed to have forgotten his actions when he was interior minister. It was he who didn’t allow Nawaz Sharif back to Pakistan which was his constitutional right.
When Nawaz Sharif reached Pakistan in 2007, Aftab Sherpao put him on a Saudi plane and deported him back to Saudi Arabia.
Had he truly loved democracy he would have at least mentioned why those protesters were outside the parliament. Free and fair elections is the basis of democracy. Without free and fair elections there can be no democracy. It is the crux of all those protesters outside Parliament.
However Aftab Sherpao, like all other like-minded supporters in the national assembly, either failed to realize this fact or chose not to recognize it.
All have their stakes to protect, and all of them know that in a genuine democracy, they won’t be able to do so.
Hence, when the same Aftab Sherpao gets up and talks about democracy, it just doesn’t sit well with his image. And if he has recently baptized into democracy, we have missed that ceremony.
View Comments (2)
I am really surprised at the bias of the writer of this piece. It's as if he has some sort of an agenda of his own. Sherpao has been a stalwart of democracy years before either the writer or I were born and much before Imran Khan bowled his first ball. Military regimes and political opponents made numerous cases against him, but I am sure the writer is aware (but fails to report) that he was acquitted honorably in all these trumped up cases.
I am surprised how the writer has missed the real message of Sherpao's speech. Attack on Parliament! Violation of the Constitution! Hypocrisy and lies of PTI and PAT! Mis-governance in KPK! Forgetting the IDP's! These were the real messages of this historic speech.
Well Written.......... Bool ke ab Lab azaad hay taira.