One indiscreet remark provides the spark
The election campaign is being conducted in an atmosphere marked by suspicion and distrust. There is ill will between the PPP, the PML-N and the PTI while religious parties like the JUI-F and Jamaat-e-Islami do not trust one another. Most of all these parties are wary of the machinations of the establishment. This is understandable because the country has not seen a single free and fair election during the last four decades. The only difference this time, which provides a modicum of hope, is the presence of an independent election commission, though here too some have called into question the way the four provincial members of the ECP were elected. There is also a consensus caretaker set up in place. In this case too, the most common question asked invariably about each and every member was regarding who was behind his appointment.
In this background comes the remark attributed to Malik Habib that Nawaz Sharif is the only true national leader and that he had been voting for the PML-N in the past. There is no denying that every man has the right to have political likes and dislikes and vote according to his inclinations. But once someone agrees to take over a job in the interim government one has to be extra cautious. This is all the more important in the case of the caretaker interior minister who controls the civil law enforcement bodies and security agencies which have gained enough notoriety for election-rigging over the period. The minister is therefore going to be constantly under watch by the political parties and the media. This explains why Malik Habib’s earlier slip of tongue describing his tenure between two to three years did not miss the watchful eye of the media. Any sign of partiality on his part is likely to create doubts about the fairness of the elections.
With one indiscreet remark the interim minister has brought the impartiality of the caretaker setup into question. The ANP has now joined the PPP and PTI to demand his resignation. The MQM has called on the president and the ECP to dismiss him. The PPP’s Samsam Bukhari has suggested that instead of being a part of the caretaker set up he should run the election campaign for the PML-N leader whom he considers the only true national leader. The PPP is meditating over filing a reference against him in the ECP. The PTI’s Shafqat Mahmood has called Malik partisan and thus unacceptable. Malik Habib has now said that he has left his past affiliations behind and is an impartial caretaker minister. The explanation should have been enough to settle the matter between two gentlemen. But whether it would satisfy the political parties who have had an exceptionally bad experience of the establishment remains to be seen.