A claim yet to be proven
Let alone foreign investors, few people in Pakistan would buy the claim made by the Prime Minister that a foundation of mature politics has been laid in the country. What one sees instead is a steady deterioration in political culture. With one elected government completing its term and handing over power peacefully to the new administration, hopes had been raised of politicians having learnt from their failures. Doubts began to be expressed however when the new government treated the Parliament as an unnecessary appendage, told the critics to keep quiet for the next five years and if they really had any objections raise them during the elections. Arrogance, a highly undemocratic attitude, pervaded the Cabinet.
Bad manners are infections. More so, bad political attitudes. Recourse to intolerance by those out of power is a mirror reflection of the arrogance charcterising the ruling party. While this in no way justifies the behaviour, this explains the harsh stance taken by the PTI and PAT and the offensive language used by their leaders and allies. There is a steady rise in personalised attacks on rivals in public speeches, at times bordering on vulgarity. This can only raise the threshold of confrontation. Intolerance is on the rise in the country. At the London rally organised to show solidarity with the Kashmiris, one expected all Pakistanis to forget their differences for a few hours. This failed to happen as PTI chose to heckle Bilawal Bhutto. Some threw empty plastic bottles at him. This led to an equally uncalled for reaction in Hyderabad where PTI workers were beaten up.
There is a need on the part of all political parties to ponder over the consequences of political intolerance. The provocations can have serious consequences, particularly at a time when several parties intend to hold public gatherings in one another’s stronghold. Unless the top leadership of all these parties tries to rein in the tendencies there is trouble ahead for everyone as well as for the system.