Political class must rise to the occasion

Ex-Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs

It is axiomatic that it’s the responsibility of a country’s political class to maintain the coherence of its political system. This is all the more so during periods of political, economic and social stress and crisis. If at such times, a political class gives priority to the interests of its parties or sectional support bases and ignores the overall concerns of the entire people, a country can go into a downward spiral which can result in enduring problems, if not disaster. In the face of emergencies, if a political class loses the ability to come together, refuses to curtail personal and political egos and continues to give salience to its ideological preferences and abandons the people in the hour of their need, it abdicates its essential function and duty and simply loses its raison d’etre.

India’s own history is replete with examples which validate these propositions, as does the continuing tragedy which has gone on for almost five decades in Afghanistan. It is vital that the Indian political class, especially those who hold the senior-most positions in the land, pays heed to the striking lessons of this country’s past, as also draws them from the Afghan catastrophe. For, overall, India is passing through its most critical phase since Partition, necessitating that all elements of the political class from the highest to those at the ground level look to people’s welfare. There are disturbing reports from the grass roots that this is not so. But first a look at Afghanistan and the lessons it holds for the Indian political class at this critical stage in the nation’s journey.

The Afghan crisis began with the coup against King Zahir Shah in 1973, initiated by his cousin Daud Khan who abolished the monarchy and became President of the republic. The coup broke the overall stability of the country and provided space to contradictory ideological forces — Islamic and communist — that were growing in the country’s social and political space. In 1978, the communists, with the help of the army, not only deposed Daud Khan, but also killed him and members of his family. The communist party was divided into factions itself and their contestation, too, was bloody. They also let loose a reign of terror and killed a very large number of people considered to be opposed to the programmes and policies of the party which were meeting stiff resistance from a conservative people.

The conflicts and murders unleashed by the factions led to the Soviet intervention in 1979. That led to the migration of millions of Afghans to Pakistan and Iran and beyond, the intervention of Western countries, the establishment of Islamic Mujahideen resistance groups based in Pakistan who launched a violent campaign against the Soviet presence and the communist regime. A decade later, the Soviet forces withdrew from Afghanistan, leaving behind the Najibullah government. There was now an opportunity for reconciliation, but that was ignored by the Islamic groups and violence continued, and so did the suffering of the Afghan people.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Najibullah’s position became untenable and the Mujahideen groups formed an interim government in 1992, but they could not reconcile their differences and a violent civil war ensued. That led to Pakistani intervention and the rise of the Taliban. With Pakistan’s help this obscurantist group established sway in large parts of the country, captured Kabul and established a system of medieval misery. Their abhorrent regime lasted till 2001, when it was ousted after 9/11 by the forces of the Northern Alliance with US and NATO assistance.

The Afghan political class, with the help of the international community, had now the opportunity to establish a viable system under a democratic constitution. It could also sink its differences and unite an ethnically motivated polity. However, the political class leadership failed to do so. That provided the Taliban space to regroup, and with the assistance of the Pakistani army, get back into Afghanistan. Despite the endeavours of the coalition forces, the Taliban expanded their hold over the country till the US was forced to negotiate with them, accept a strategic defeat and decide to withdraw. That withdrawal process is currently on and the country’s future again hangs in the balance, while the people’s misery continues. Even at this critical time, the Kabul political elite has been unable to sink its political differences.

The Afghan experience will never happen in present-day India, but over many centuries, the lack of unity in India’s political class provided ground for successful foreign invasions from the north-west, and later the establishment of British power. The lessons of that disunity and not standing along with the people during emergencies should never be lost by the political class. To its credit, it has displayed unity after Independence during periods of armed hostilities initiated by Pakistan or China. That same resolve and unity have to be shown now, when India is combating the pandemic. Unfortunately, overall, it is lacking.

Worse, it would seem in Uttar Pradesh local political leaders of all political parties are showing unbelievable lack of concern for the travails of the people during the pandemic. They appear to be busy politicking for the formation of committees after the local body polls in the state, instead of addressing the health concerns of the people. According to reports of fearless young journalists who, at great risk to their own health, are covering the state, some MPs and MLAs, cutting across parties, are not among their constituents for giving them succour. This is no different from soldiers abandoning their posts in the face of the enemy. It is a manifestation of the irresponsibility and lack of cohesion of the political class, and it is tragic.