The vitriolic diatribe delivered by Punjab Chief Minister at a Lahore rally was both improper and irresponsible. The strong language that he used is likely to bring into circulation a whole lot of vocabulary that had gone out of political parlance after politicians realised the folly of no-holds-barred struggles that characterised the 1990s and paved the way for Musharraf’s coup. Shahbaz promised to first try to remove the President through Parliament but threatened that if “if the Parliament failed, the masses from Karachi to Peshawar going against him will hang him along with his group of looters at the Bhati Chowk.” Every major English daily has quoted the words within inverted commas which removes any perception of mistranslation.
Whatever Zardari’s sins, real or perceived, he is a democratically elected President and can only be removed through impeachment in the manner prescribed in the constitution. Any recourse to extra-constitutional means would indicate a disrespect for the basic law of the country. While a rabble rouser may indulge in threats of the sort, they are highly unbecoming of a Chief Minister. Shahbaz has forgotten that another leader who had extended a similar threat to ZAB was subsequently never forgiven by the people. The threat to a President who belongs to Sindh from the CM of Punjab would strengthen parochial tendencies and generate anti-Punjab sentiment.
The rally addressed by Shahbaz was not merely a protest march. It seems to be a premeditated step towards a countrywide agitation. He has said he would turn every city in the country into a “Tahrir Square”. He even called on the participants of the rally to start rationing their food, because after Moharram, ending in mid-December, his party would lead a nationwide protest and might have to “live on the roads.” Shahbaz needs to be reminded that the Tahrir square became a venue for protests against an autocratic ruler who controlled judiciary, put curbs on media and imprisoned and tortured dissidents. In a country with an elected parliament, independent judiciary, free media and no curbs on political activity, talking about setting up Tahrir Squares amounts to an attempt to derail the democratic system.
By any account, it was a disgraceful show by a chief minister and closes borders on attracting action under Article 6 of the Constitution. It is convenient to talk about Tahreer Square but he must realize that Egypt only entered an era of fresh military rule under Field Marshal Tantawi. Is that what Shahbaz really wants?
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