The verdict on 10 January on NRO has clarified any ambiguity as to why the Supreme Court was insistent on hurrying up in finalising the electoral lists. The court has given the federal government six options to choose, ranging from declaring the sitting president, prime minister and several others as ineligible from holding public office (means immediate dismissal) to go back to people to decide (means new elections).
When last year in December, Pakistan’s Supreme Court expressed its concerns on the slow pace of finalising voter lists, some people questioned court’s interest in this matter. The court asked the Election Commission of Pakistan to complete the task by 23 February 2012 as if to go for elections in March. As general elections were at least a year away (due in March 2013), it was surprising to note court’s such intense interest. But, the current scenario has just straightened everything up for all.
One could presume that the country is heading towards a serious conflict among its most important institutions wherein judiciary and army are taking a joint stand against the executive. One could also presume that the establishment has made up its mind to go for Bangladesh model (wherein judiciary is to run the government with army’s support for a certain period of time). These self-centred and short-vision verdicts and decisions may lead to nothing but further chaos and deterioration of an already fragile economy.
Pakistan’ issues are widespread terrorism, religious extremism, lack of energy resources, natural calamities, unchecked population growth, not Memogate and NRO. But this is not the first time the institutions are bent upon dismantling the very basis of peoples’ will.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia