PTI needs to be realistic
Ch Nisar and Imran Khan have addressed the National Assembly, the cabinet has met to take important decisions and the KP assembly has passed a conditional resolution on blocking NATO supplies. Supported by the mainstream opposition maintains, the government maintains that it is committed to hold talks with the TTP. Imran Khan, however, has other priorities. Sharif considers the militants as ‘misguided and confused elements of society’, though he would not allow use of force ‘without first making every effort to bring them back to the mainstream.’ Imran Khan on the other hand exonerates the militants of the killing of nearly 40,000 civilians and 5,000 troops. He instead demands action that would destroy whatever bridges the government has built with the US or the EU. This could only please the militants who want Pakistan to paint itself into a corner by breaking ties with the civilized world, initiating hostilities with India and allowing Pakistan’s territory to be used as a launching pad for militant attacks inside China and elsewhere. One fails to understand how long Imran, whose speech did not contain a single word about barbarities committed by the militants, would continue to wear blinkers.
A philosopher living in the clouds may look at those who commit crimes against humanity as ‘misguided and confused elements of society’. An elected government tasked with providing the security of life to its people by strict enforcement of laws however cannot afford to live in an ivory tower. The PML-N has concluded, albeit reluctantly, that the war the country is fighting is our own. But it is yet to call a criminal a criminal, show no sympathy for the ilk and ensure that all those involved in bombing and target killing or conducting attacks inside neighbouring countries are brought to book. Unless this is done the ongoing bloodshed and violence cannot be brought to an end.
The KP government was about to take an extreme stand which besides being a violation of the constitution was highly unrealistic. The opposition in the KP Assembly has however provided the PTI an opportunity to save face. The decision to stop the NATO supplies in November 2011 was taken by the federal government. So was the subsequent decision to resume the supplies. Despite the widening of the scope of provincial autonomy issues impinging on national defence and foreign.