Yesterday's Men

So, according to the National Accountability Bureau last week, President Asif Ali Zardari has assets of $1.5 billion – making him far richer that the Queen of England (worth only a paltry $450 million, for all those wondering). Makes you proud to be Pakistani, doesn't it? We can now tell our former colonial rulers "our head of state is richer than yours!" Although, perhaps, before we do, we should wait for the Supreme Court's ruling on whether the NRO is unconstitutional, and therefore whether the said head of state is to be tried on corruption cases.

Some foreign newspapers breathlessly ran with the story. "President Asif Zardari of Pakistan 'is a billionaire,' " screamed one particularly excitable headline in Britain's Daily Telegraph. Meanwhile, most of us upon hearing the report yawned. Old news. Quelle surprise. Nothing to see, ladies and gentleman, please move along.

In fact, the overwhelming reaction was a sense of déjà vu. Pakistani politics is stuck in a groundhog day – an endless repetition of the same characters, facing the same accusations, following the same pattern. Cases will come. Charges will be made. Sentences handed down. Cases will be appealed. Charges will be dropped. But nothing changes in Pakistan.

In two weeks' time we'll be entering the second decade of the 21st century. Yet this story – Zardari's alleged corruption – could have been drawn from the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the 2000s. The president's chief spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, himself admitted when responding to the latest allegations that these are "no more than a regurgitation of decades-old unproven, politically motivated allegations." Decades old? God, it seems longer!

Pakistani politics has become a stagnant cesspool – a repetitive regurgitation of the same people. Let's take a look at the facts pertaining to the political leaders of the three largest parties in Pakistan.

The Pakistan People's Party has been in the hands of the same family since its inception in 1967 – 42 years. While he is a relative newcomer to leading the party following the assassination of his wife in 2007, we mustn't forget that Zardari has been at the epicentre of PPP politics since his marriage to Benazir in 1987.

Nawaz Sharif came to prominence on the political scene in 1985 as the chief minister of Punjab, the very same job his brother holds today. Nawaz has been leading the PML-N since 1993.

Altaf Hussain formed the MQM in 1984 out of the remnants of the APMSO, a group he launched in 1979. As we all know, there has been no other leader of the MQM.

In the time that these three people and their families have monopolised the leadership of their respective parties, we have seen the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union, the growth of the personal computer and the internet, 9/11, and the election of America's first black president. How many cricket captains and coaches have we sacked in this time due to poor performance? Yet, these three are still here. Every time our three main political leaders appear, one is automatically transported back to the 1980s -- the decade in which these three emerged onto the political scene. The 1980s also gave us the perm, Nazia Hassan, and VCRs. Yet, while these three are no longer with us, Asif, Nawaz and Altaf Bhai remain very much in place.

It's also worth noting that in a country where three-quarters of the population is under 30 years old, and half the population is under 20, the three main political leaders are 54, 60 and 56, respectively. Are they capable of tackling the most pressing problems facing Pakistan and its young?

The world's attention is on the Copenhagen climate conference at the moment. Pakistan is one of the countries that will be affected most by climate change. According to the UN, in the coming decades we will see reduction in our crop yields – up to 30 per cent in South Asia, spread of climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, an increased risk of extinction of plant and animal species, water stress, and an increased risk of floods as glaciers retreat, followed by drought and water scarcity. Climate change will also have an impact for peace and security and migration. With a population estimated to rise by 85 million in the next 20 years – the equivalent of five Karachis – this is truly terrifying. So where do these leaders stand on this issue? What leadership have they shown on the subject? None.

The fact that these three emerged during the 1980s is not coincidental. The decade of Zia spawned a new political class frustrated with the stranglehold of a military dictatorship. However, we need to admit that these three are yesterday's men. They need to step aside, not just for the sake of their parties, but also their country. Pakistani politics needs a massive infusion of new blood -- new leaders with new ideas. Leaders who can provide solutions to some of Pakistan's most pressing problems, be it terrorism, population explosion or climate change. It's time for the next generation.