NELSON Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island. This for demanding independence of South Africa from the apartheid regime. His patience and perseverance led him to become the first president of the Republic of South Africa.

Mahatma Gandhi too had revolted against this regime when he was the legal retainer of a reputed Kathiawari Muslim trader. He was the one who gave the nation their own political party, the South African National Congress (SANC), to get rid of the white man's rule.

Natives were maltreated by the apartheid regime, notorious for sending people, as well as SANC leaders, to jail. Many were tortured and killed. South Africa got independence at the fag-end of the 20th century. During its first general election in 1994 President Mandela (SANC) won with a convincing majority.

He ruled the newly-independent country for a full term of four years and did not contest for a second term and retired from politics.

Just after assuming the office of the president, he constituted the Commission for Investigation and Reconciliation with full powers to investigate cases of murder, humiliation and corruption. This took about three years. Its report was presented to the parliament and made public. One of the terms of reference of the commission was that whosoever was found guilty of corruption and murder would have to come on radio and television and request the nation for a public pardon.

The process was 83 per cent successful and the people (mostly European and their native cronies) came on radio and TV and sought the nation pardon. This way both racial societies, i.e. black and white, were merged together and thus the apartheid system of government ended for good.

Being impressed by the South Africa example, we wrote to Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan had enough of political infighting between elected government representatives and those from the opposition who fought tooth and nail and could not care less for making the country a welfare state.

The suggestion given was that Musharraf may adopt a policy similar to that of Mandela. Since the Muslim League coalition regime was coming to an end, a new assembly was expected to come into power after the general election.

The president did not want to be criticised any longer by the opposition for prolonging his rule on the excuse of investigation of criminals.

He was advised to leave and allow whosoever wanted to contest the election. They were allowed to do so. Besides, investigation and subsequent action was left to the discretion of the coming parliament.

It did not approve of the National Reconciliation Ordinance, which is neither a part of the amendment to the constitution nor a new act of parliament.

I must say Musharraf did his best not to get the NRO approved as an act of the then parliament or as an amendment to the Constitution.

In fact, it became a bait to cage those who had made Pakistan as the second-most corrupt nation in the world.

S.M. ZAKERYA KAZMI
Former senator
Karachi