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Pakistan

The symbolic sentence on Prime Minister Gilani: what does it mean? – Pakistani capitalist state is in a mess

Saturday 12 May 2012, by Farooq Tariq

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The Supreme Court symbolic sentence to prime minister Gilani in the contempt court case is a win win situation for both sides. The Supreme Court wanted a decision that should not be easily explained by any one and the masses should be confused and divided on the issue. It gave a decision that gave time to PPP to react in an organised manner.

It is not a victory of either side and this will not solve anything. The decision will further deepen the present capitalist state crisis where its institutions are in loggerhead with each other. It is an economic crisis that has now resulted in conflicts of the different state institutions.

The decision is apparently not against the present democratic set up and it is more to restore the ’authority of the Supreme Court". However, it will be presented by PPP as an attack on their government and as an effort to send them home. The decision will help this process in the end. The PPP leadership will try to give an image that they have been single out.

There is a problem. The PPP leadership has done their best not to face the question that who owns the money in the Swiss Banks? There has been tremendous corruption during the second PPP power period in 1994-1996, as is the case with the present one. The deal between PPP and Musharaf resulted in the shape of NRO, a deal that was not even supported by any political party after Musharaf was gone. During the first few months of PPP government, it was able to send a letter to Swiss government to withdraw the cases against president Zardari and company. Supreme Court wanted the cases to be reopened. PPP did not want. Then whole jungle of judicial manoeuvring started. Both sides has used their best talent, PPP finally brought one of the most close lawyer with the judges. Aitezaz Ahsan was able to drag on the case for some months and finally forced the judges to go for a win win situation. Every side can say things as they want.

What are the real issues in Pakistan? It is poverty unemployment, a decent living wage, peace and security for every citizen. PPP government has failed in providing these. The programme of Mian Nawaz Sharif is even more right wing than the present government. If he comes to power, there will be a whole sale privatisation, repayment of the foreign debts on more emergency bases, an increased defence budget and more pro imperialist economic and political policies. Imran Khan Tehreek Insaaf programme is also to continue with the present capitalist system. It can not go very far on this road.

The masses will not gain anything by siding any of them. There has to be an independent working class politics and movement based to develop an independent position. The present court decision will solve nothing nor the PPP reaction. It will further the support of the right wing parties including the religious one. It will sharpen the present contradictions among the different forces of the ruling class.

An ordinary worker will ask from the court, what is the decision? It will also ask PPP activists why they are making noise when there is no clear decision against the prime minister. The decision was to confuse the masses further and their apathy about the institution will further increase. “They are all the same” notion will further take rout among the consciousness of the working masses.

Pakistani capitalist state is in a mess. It has not solved any of the basic problems of the masses. The last four years of PPP government has not changed much in the lives of the masses, it has aggravated the economic and social problems. The role of the sate has to be understood in the light of its background. A religiously dominated state will be an authoritarian state in its nature. The military domination of the whole state institutions including the parliament has further driven the course of history in authoritarian directions.

The present court decision can not be understood in isolation from the other processes that are going on within the state and among its actors. The crisis of Pakistani state is a crisis of its ruling elite. The present decision will be interpreted by each party according to their own interests. It is a classical example of the judicial failiour of solving a political issue. The masses has to do themselves if they want a liberation from hunger and poverty, as long as they have illusion in one or another, they can not go very far

May Day 2012 is a day for the working class, they can bring forward the real issues facing the working class.