Politicians need to work together
It is said that every political crisis also throws up opportunities to address the causes that foment such situations and spur the efforts to reform the system to prevent the reoccurrence of such episodes. The political turmoil generated by the Azadi and Revolution marches, notwithstanding their devastating impact on the economy, setting an unenviable precedent to achieve political objectives through unconstitutional means, tarnishing the image of the country in the comity of nations, causing the worst diplomatic embarrassment for the country as a result of the deferment of the visit of the Chinese President and distracting the attention of the nation from the on-going war against terrorists and the plight of the IDPs, has surely led to some positive and encouraging developments on the political landscape of the country.
The threat posed to the democratic system and constitutional rule in the country by the antics of the duo of Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri acted as a catalyst for the crystallisation of a rare unity and solidarity among all the political forces to defend democracy and not allow the non democratic forces to have better of them at any cost.
The other positive outcome of the political upheaval is that it has strengthened the national aspirations for the need to reform the electoral and governance systems, which have not only promoted a culture of graft and entitlement but also failed to deliver to the masses besides hindering the path of real democracy in the country. There is a universal consensus on this issue and the government has also shown its unflinching commitment to this cause by agreeing to form a judicial commission to establish the veracity of the rigging claims or otherwise, which has basically been the reason for the Azadi march by Imran Khan and also forming a parliamentary committee to reform the electoral system.
These two developments have provided a big opportunity to address these issues and if the politicians are able to consolidate these gains, the country would surely be better off than before. If we look at the history of the developed nations and those who got independence just about the same time as we did, two things stand out as a major difference between them and us. They achieved success due to political stability and evolutionary changes within the ambit of their constitutions. It is a proven recipe for all the political and socio-economic maladies.
The founder of Pakistan saw the future of the country in democracy and constitutional rule in the country. The situation that our country is presently confronted with undoubtedly is a sequel to deviation from this prescribed path for which the blame lies equally on the shoulders of the military dictators and the politicians, probably more with the latter for their criminal apathy to change the archaic colonial system which has inbuilt avenues of corruption and an anti-people bias. Their attempts to perpetuate this system and failure to actually deliver invited interventions by military dictators. Had the politicians risen to the occasion and followed the script written and envisioned by the Quaid, the country could very well have avoided the political instability and marched onto the road of progress.
The most painful thing to note is that some of the frustrated and disgruntled political elements are still openly inviting the army to intervene and scuttle the gains of democracy. An attempt is also being made to soil the image of the army by creating the impression that the present crisis was choreographed by the khakis. All kinds of allegations are being hurled from different political and non-political characters to reinforce this impression. Army is a very prestigious institution of Pakistan and a symbol of national unity. It should not be dragged into politics or made controversial, especially at a time when our soldiers are fighting to save Pakistan from the onslaught of the terrorists. I think a proper probe is justified to find out the truth and taking action against the elements who are trying to malign the army.
The politicians must learn to resolve political issues through their collective wisdom and unqualified allegiance to the constitution, imbued with the spirit of serving the masses and earning a respectable place in the comity of nations. If the objective is to serve the masses and strengthen constitutional rule in the country instead of the mob rule, the solutions to all the ills afflicting our body politics would have to be found through constitutional means and universally accepted democratic norms.
Dialogue and flexibility are the essential ingredients for the resolution of political conflicts and issues. The government has exhibited a lot of flexibility in accommodating majority of the demands of PTI and PAT, as is evident from the reported progress on the on-going on and off dialogue. However the much anticipated breakthrough still remains an elusive possibility due to the obduracy of the duo of Imran and Qadri to resile from their demand for the resignation of the prime minister, which is decidedly an unconstitutional call. Nobody believing in democracy and constitution would ever agree to such a preposterous proposition. The parliament which is the mother of all the state institutions and the entire civil society have vehemently rejected this proposal. Conceding to any such demand would add an element of perennial political instability in the country. Both Imran and Qadri need to extricate themselves from the clutches of their egos and allow sanity to prevail. Our salvation lies in sticking to the constitutional rule in the country and upholding its sanctity. Any other course is a sure recipe for an impending precipice.
The country is passing through a very critical phase of its history and apart from the diabolical challenges already confronting it, another calamity in the shape of floods has raised its ugly head affecting the lives of millions of people across the country. It is time to show unqualified support to our soldiers fighting against the terrorists and the people affected by floods. Therefore the desirable course for the agitators is to abandon their protest and join the nation in dealing with these challenges.
