THIS refers to the article, ‘The chaos-makers’ (June 26), I.A. Rehman, who says “However, his (Dr Qadri’s) call for regime change is unlikely to be backed by democratic elements.

“The government derives its legitimacy from the popular mandate it received last year. The allegations of manipulation of the 2013 vote count cannot be exploited by him because he did not join the contest. Nor is his rejection of the Election Commission of Pakistan or the political system of much help to him because his campaign on these issues did not dissuade a majority of people from queuing up at polling stations.”

Now, seeing the mess that Pakistan is in, and has been for decades, the real chaos-makers have been the rulers, including those that the writer likes to call democratic elements, and which he is trying to defend.

As for the government deriving its legitimacy from the popular mandate, there being no requirement in Pakistan for the winner to secure more than 50pc of the votes cast, most governments in Pakistan happen to be minority governments, and that is without even considering the rampant rigging and the ineffective election commission, which put further question marks on their legitimacy.

And this is not just Dr Qadri, but also a ‘democratic element’ Imran Khan, whose party was next after the PML-N as regards votes secured, who is being more than vocal against rigging and who admits that Dr Qadri’s warning about the electoral process proved true.

The writer believes that the allegations of manipulation of the 2013 vote count cannot be exploited by Dr Qadri just because he did not join the contest.

Is the writer suggesting that only contestants have a stake in, and a right to speak on election issues, with the ordinary Pakistanis, who face the consequences, being of no significance until the next elections when they may cast their votes again, becoming irrelevant thereafter.

I thought democracy meant government of the people, by the people and for the people, and people does not mean only ‘contestants’.

S.R.H. Hashmi

Karachi

(2)

L’AFFAIRE Qadri has been an embarrassment for the country. Emirates, one of the last airlines still flying to Pakistan, has publicly communicated its exasperation over the episode. It could soon join a long list of international carriers, which have walked away from the Pakistani market.

Shame on Qadri’s supporters for their attacks on the police and public property. Shame on them for the suffering their activities inflicted on day labourers, small businessmen, students and patients from the ensuing paralysis of a number of cities.

Shame on the government for its mishandling of what should have been a non-event; mismanagement brought on by the destruction of the civil service, media hysteria, and reckless judicial interference with the administrative machinery.

The same administrative machinery, without political interference, ran united India for the British. The British relied on tact and the judicious and unapologetic use of force — qualities wholly lacking in the government of today. If panic was warranted, the government could, and should, have revoked Qadri’s Pakistani passport, leaving him to cool his heels in Dubai or Canada. The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada all reserve the right to revoke passports.

Finally, it is clear that the Brothers Sharif, like the Bourbon Kings of France, “forgot nothing, and learnt nothing.”

Saad Gul

Falls Church, USA

(3)

THE recent attacks on Karachi airport and on an aircraft in Peshawar tell the world how Pakistan is lacking security and defence. If the current situation continues and no serious measures are taken to tackle terrorists, the time is not far off when there would be a travel ban on Pakistan.

A foreign airline has decided to stop sending its flights to Pakistan and Sri Lanka has denied Pakistanis visa on arrival. Security forces should control the situation before it is too late.

Abdul Samad

Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 28th , 2014