PTI unilateral actions to be counter-productive
The myriad opinions held by the KP coalition, the federal government and the other parties on the drones issue is a stark reminder of the confusion and discord underlying our prevalent political scenario as a whole. An agreement on looming problems demanding immediate decisions is either inordinately delayed or interpreted differently by the participants afterwards. Drone attacks have generated a renewed intense debate within the country as the UN Human Rights Commission has also declared them in violation of international law, while the killing of TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud and particularly the Hangu attack in quick succession, the latter the first outside FATA, has also raised the hackles of many.
The ruling PTI has embarked on an aggressive course of action in KP, such as sit-ins, halting NATO supply route and roughing up the drivers. It would appear that it was the only national party that was not displaying hypocrisy on this divisive issue, but then one learnt of the FIR in the Hangu drone attack being lodged against ‘unknown persons’, reducing their stance to a farce. The KP finance minister who belongs to its coalition ally, the Jamat-i-Islami, even demanded of the federal government to expel the US ambassador, which of course is a bit far-fetched. He also threatened a countrywide mass movement to block the US supply line. The unilateral line of action taken by the PTI would certainly prove to be counter-productive, both at the national and the diplomatic level, and Imran Khan needs to coordinate closely with the federal leadership, if national interest is to be served. At the same time, one can well surmise the terror of innocent civilians in the tribal areas who remain at the mercy of drone attacks
The ruling party, though undoubtedly beset by many daunting problems, also needs to come up with a well-thought out response, balancing the violation of sovereignty issue against the undeniable fact that the drone attacks have also eliminated many hostile militants. It is indeed a problem with many questions, and few answers. But the PTI’s ‘final solution’ of disrupting the NATO supply route and its other hasty actions such as street protests and mass movements can possibly turn violent in the heat of the moment, causing more mayhem and widening the already pronounced divisions within our polity and society. At the moment one can only say, that anyone who claims to have a clear solution for the drone attacks, has been misinformed.
