Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s unequivocal and courageous statement urging all to support Supreme Court in Aasia Bibi case is like hitting the right cord reflecting the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of the people of the country who want the country should be governed by rule of law indiscriminately and without the tinge of fear or favour. It makes epic sense because without rule of law the state or society will be ultimately plunged into chaos and anarchy allegorical to free for all where unbridled bestial forces will unleash terror based on whimsical, autocratic, arbitrary and capricious diktats. Life in such environment is bound to be ‘brutish, short and poor’ for the people.
But, the deafening and mind numbing silence of the majority of the rest of the political leadership speaks volumes of their misplaced expediency solely driven by political opportunism very close to felonious alacrity. The rightest parties’ opposition to the Supreme Court judgment clearly suggested seizing the opportunity to fish out of the troubled waters without giving scant regard to the apocalyptic aftermaths of their standing on the side of the equation that grotesquely believes in the foisting of its self-righteousness in absolute terms. Nothing may be more hostile to the state and to its writ. Instead, the political leadership of all shades should take cue from the chairman PPP’s stance on the fundamental issue and extend the fullest support in favour of rule of law to subdue those who are recklessly dominated with their tunnel vision to pave the way to hell with misplaced good intentions. Dithering not to express their unflinching solidarity with the apologists of rule of law may inflict ravages of horrendous proportion those are not difficult to anticipate.
The agreement signed by the government with the (TLP) last week is an abject surrender of the government because the government failed to release Aasia Bibi after her acquittal by not less than the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Ironically, the government reportedly agreed to put her name on ECL clearly suggesting that state has miserably failed to set her free who has been exonerated by the apex court in a landmark judgment. The statements of the government ministers on the subject may not be no more than platitude coined to play to the gallery. The leading figures of the (TLP) hurled naked threat to national security and to the constitutional rule. They were full throttled in their assertions against the state institutions but the government opted to hammer out an agreement without the commitment to adopt legal course to bring the culprits to justice who undermined the Constitution and the state institutions under the full glare of social media.
There are, however, some media reports attributed to the statement of the Interior Ministry and government ministers expressing the firm resolve of the government to bring the culprits to the dock for their grotesque activities in disturbing the public order and handing out threats to state institutions. Bringing the culprits to justice may only restore the confidence of the people in the state and in the incumbent government that has been badly shaken at the hands of the extremist religious forces.
The PPP Chairman and the Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, seemed willing to help the government in getting the country out of the multiple crises choking it in all possible ways. Co-chairman opened his heart out the other day in the National Assembly when he offered an olive branch to the ruling party to work together for the uplift of the country that could no more afford the confrontational politics and ‘emergencies’. His offer was sincere without the shadow of power politics but politics for the sake of Pakistan that was in dire straight due to prevailing political and economic mess.
Mr Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister, welcomed the offer assuring to respond positively. The genuine desire of the co-chairman should be warmly reciprocated with sincerity, and the unpleasant past should not eclipse the building of bridges between the political divide. Evolving political consensus is sine qua non to get the country out of the morass that poses formidable threats to the country. Forging political unity cannot be overemphasized in view of the emerging perilous scenario both within and without because emerging geo-politics environment may also not give benefit of doubt to our naiveties anymore. The world is closely watching and monitoring our each step. The disenchantment, if any degree, of the international community may not respond favourably to our perpetual lachrymose strategy any more as victim.
These are not the times of point scoring or reminding the follies to the political adversaries. PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal, though absolutely right, in reminding the PTI leadership of having the taste of its own medicine in the form of its once favourite politics of sit-ins, road blocks and paralysing the day–to-day life to pull down the PML-N’s elected government through unconstitutional means. PML-N being a democratic and patriotic party may not like to go to the extent due to the prime consideration of saving the country from the ravages of petty politics. Indeed, PML-N top leader’s statement not to give hard tight to the incumbent government reflects its eagerness to accord preference to national politics over trivial politics based on power politics ‘by hook or crook’ the hallmark of PTI politics. PPP stood up and unravel the juggernaut of the political forces those wanted to inflict political change ultra vires.
No political analyst of substance could deny PPP’s role for the restoration, continuity and strengthening of democracy during difficult times. PPP’s leadership clear position on the current crisis completely synchronized with its ideology that stands for democratic, progressive and inclusive Pakistan with rule of law as its singular distinction.
What is done is done. Now, it may be the utmost endeavour of the government that the agreement with (TLP) may not culminate in short term gains for long term pain for the nation. The implementation of the elastic five-point agreement must not compromise the due course of law. Nor it should undermine the writ of the state that is non-negotiable. Understandably, the (TLP) leadership must be under immense pressure because every Pakistan was suffering due to the blocked highways and roads, paralysed system of transportation and communication badly affecting the day-to-day life thus compounding miseries of the people with every passing day earning their curse for the protestors.
The leadership must be also under heightened anxiety caused by the fear of backlash of civil society if pushed against the wall. It seems the better sense prevailed upon the protesting leaders that nudged them to go for an early honourable exit that 5-point offered them -- presenting each party something to cheer about. Now, the real test will commence as how the government implement the agreement without compromising the fundamentals of the Constitution and of the due course of law.
The only redeeming outcome of the agreement between the government and the (TLP) may be that it saved the situation from going bad to worse that was indeed wrought with dangers of losing lives on both sides notwithstanding the image of the country taking the nosedive to the collective chagrin of the nation. For, the state could have not afforded the inordinate stalemate of the crisis of this magnitude because of the perception of its capitulation. It had to tackle the crisis through negotiations, or by force as the ultimate resort. The state has the constitutional responsibility to provide its citizens security of life and property including the freedom of movement as the fundamental right of the citizens. It cannot and should not tolerate the pressure groups that tend to challenge its writ to hurt its institutions and its citizens.
The far right political parties support base is almost inconsequential so far as their electoral prospects are concerned. They have street power because their die-hard supporters take to the streets in massive number at the instructions of their religious leaders. This scares the government and the religious leaders like to play on this fear to their parochial advantages. They are accustomed of using this power recklessly especially when the issue is flagged as a religious one like the latest of Aasia Bibi. But, the track record of performance of the rightest parties in elections throughout had been on the decline due to being considered as retrogressive forces with no pragmatic road map for the people’s welfare. Their presence in the successive parliaments had been abysmal incrementally. The only exception of their doing comparatively well was in elections in KPK and Balochistan after American invasion of Afghanistan.
In the recently held elections in the country, the MMA, an alliance of 11 religious parties, could bag only nominal seats as compared to the nationalist parties. These religious parties get the opportunity to get prominence only when religious controversy is triggered in the country and they do not hesitate to take full advantage giving damn to the image of the country or to the interests of national politics. Many of them are megalomaniacs in the garb of religious leaders.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com
