Musical chairs for PMs
The Supreme Court continues to follow relentlessly the course it has chosen regarding the NRO implementation case. The law abiding citizens are expected to silently endure the consequences that follow from the court’s verdict. The entire country faces power shortages which have taken a toll on the national economy. The issue of opening the Nato routes has brought Pakistan and the US to a state of confrontation. Talks between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India, postponed on account of the current crisis, require detailed consultations between important national stake holders. Vital decisions have to be taken to ensure fair and free elections. As things stand, the PM who is required to play a pivotal role in the resolution of these issues is fighting for his survival. While it took months to send Gilani home, the new PM who has been ordered to submit his reply on July 12, is likely to get a short shrift. His expected removal will once again pit the executive against the judiciary but the former which has made itself highly unpopular on account of its poor performance will have no option but to blink once again. How long would the PPP continue the game which it is bound to lose remains to be seen. What is amply clear is that the executive would not be able to perform its functions with even a modicum of efficiency during the remainder of its tenure.
What worries many are the consequences of the SC verdict for the system. For the first time in Pakistan’s history, the court has introduced a hitherto unknown way of removing an elected PM enjoying a majority in the NA. The precedent is likely to act as a Damocles’ sword on whosoever is the PM in days to come. With an unhealthy tendency on the part of the opposition to take political issues to the apex court, and the trend on the part of the latter to oblige, no PM will be able to take action on crucial issues with confidence. While the opposition is currently expressing jubilation on the plight of the PPP government, the judicial activism with undefined boundaries can become a source of permanent conflict between the executive and judiciary. The only way out is an institutional balance wherein the state institutions interact with each other with deference instead of resorting to commands.
The PPP needs to avoid a clash with the SC. It should concentrate now on holding elections at the earliest instead of getting involved in a ping pong match with the SC. It should initiate talks with the opposition to appoint a permanent CEC, an independent caretaker set up and to agree on a firm date for the elections.
