He was cruising for a bruising, Nawaz Sharif was. You don’t warn of revolt and not expect for the government to hit back with scathing remarks of their own. Who is Mr Sharif set to revolt against, asks the PPP’s Babar Awan, the Constitution or democracy itself?
The erstwhile minister has a point. An admirable stance against the unelected establishment notwithstanding, the PML(N) supremo is yet to understand completely the subtleties of representative governance. Even if the purpose of said subversion is to ultimately empower the institution of the political government, a cognizance of the fact that the end does not justify the means is well needed. The way it was needed during the post-elections phase of the lawyers’ movement. The fact of the matter is that the executive authority of government in our parliamentary democracy rests with the party with the largest number of legislators. If said party is not acting in accordance with another party’s democratic ideals (like the restoration of a wrongfully deposed judiciary or completely taking on the military after a string of embarrassing failures) then the latter party should bide its time and sell this to the electorate in the next elections. Anything other than this, (apart from forging an alliance with other parliamentary bodies) is undemocratic.
That having been said, it had to be noted that the League is not entirely to be blamed here. The ruling party’s behaviour in the current set of circumstances has left much to be desired. Far from seizing this prized opportunity to set things right, it has actually tried to preserve the status quo. If this strategy is not capitulation but a gambit, the PPP needs to take the PML(N) in confidence over the issue. This is a time for the political class to stick together rather than fighting amongst each other.