THIS is apropos the article ‘Summer woes’ by F. S. Aijazuddin (April 19). The writer surmises that a caretaker government of technocrats “will be given an unspoken assurance that its tenure could/would be extended ‘in the national interest’ beyond the prescribed three months to two or even three years.” Veteran journalist Zahid Hussain, in ‘Coercing the media’ (April 18), foresees that “we may be heading towards a ‘managed’ or ‘guided’ political dispensation.”

The mantra goes on despite the fact that the technocracy movement declined in the mid-1930s as a result of technocrats’ failure to devise a viable political theory for achieving change.

Once again, the technocracy skeletons from Musharraf-era closets are being projected as a panacea for our wounded democracy. A minister of this era is harping on the technocracy tune and there are many others in this orchestra.

The proposed technocracy is a hodgepodge of Belgian, Swiss and Iranian models. In essence, a council of elders (retired judges) is to dovetail everything. We forget that even judges are no angels. One judge may adore martial law, another may abhor it.

While we are at it why not re-invigorate our National Security Council and other inter-provincial bodies for advice. Our ‘intellectuals’ would be only too glad to add their bit to the devil’s cauldron.

Saman M. Ali

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2018