And yet PML-N needs to learn to respect democracy and institutions
The longest session of the Parliament in the country’s history was adjourned for a week to allow the parliamentarians a breather and an opportunity to visit their constituencies where the floods have either already played havoc or are expected to do so in days to come. The historic session played a crucial role to bring the PML-N government out of the doldrums. When the session opened the Parliament House was under siege for thirteen days and the legislators had to make their entry through a backdoor. A day before the opening of the Joint Session the agitated protestors had battled their way to the gate of the PM House. Nawaz Sharif had received the COAS in the Prime Minister House besieged by the mob. As he talked to parliamentary leaders hours later, he gave the looks of a man under great pressure.
The atmosphere started changing as day after day the parliamentarians unanimously affirmed full support to the system and called on the Prime Minister to resist all pressures to resign. Gradually the government started gaining confidence. The mobs outside the Assembly finally withdrew from the lawns of the Parliament and the gate of the Prime Minister House.
While the opposition vowed to jointly oppose any move to remove the Prime Minister, it made it clear that it did so to keep the system afloat while it still entertained strong reservations about the way the PML-N government had conducted itself over the last fourteen months. The Opposition shared the view that rigging had taken place in the elections, the government had neglected Parliament and Model Town killings were an atrocious act which called for bringing the perpetrators to justice. Further that the PML-N leaders and ministers must abandon their authoritarian outlook which was not in line with the democratic culture.
The speech of a PML-N minister was again marked by abrasiveness and harsh language on Thursday. The party is taking too long to realise that this does not bode well for its government.
