The prime minister may has opened a new Pandora box as he promised to the Kashmiri people during his address to the election rally in (AJK) last week to provide them the opportunity to exercise their right to determine whether they want to join Pakistan or like to remain independent once the Kashmir issue is settled according to UN Security Council resolution. The prime minister’s seemingly premature announcement was neither required nor timely because he may surely not be around at that time to fulfill what he promised during the last week. It might not be vote winning either and as such was not worth the salt. For, it may create confusion in Pakistan's consistent stance of seeking resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the resolution of the Security Council ,and what happens afterwards may be left to address according to the constitution of 1973 that explicitly contains the way out neatly and clearly.
Incidentally, the statement of the prime minister may be closer to the opposition leader’s assertion that the incumbent government has planned to make (AJK) another federating unit of the federation of Pakistan. The Prime Minister brushed aside the idea wondering where this idea had come from. Both the ruling Party and the Opposition may not drag the Kashmir issue out of the context in their politicking and desist from creating confusion. They may be mindful of the fact that the Kashmir issue is considered most sensitive by the people of Kashmir and this country alike .Obscurity is least desired.
The recent surge in terrorist attacks in the country is rather more worrisome that may be accorded full government attention to combat the wave instead of wasting time and energies in pursuit of political polarization amounting to shooting into their own feet in the final analysis. Foreign hand involvement mantra may not absolve the government of the basic responsibility to protecting citizens and the country from the sinister designs of the terrorists. The ready made official statements, after the terrorist have struck, asserting inimical foreign forces are involved may not offer solace to the people. What do the government except of the enemies of the country do? The enemy has been weaving a web of terrorism in this country during the last twenty years as maintained by the National Security Adviser in his last week interview to the Indian TV channel senior correspondent Karan Thapar. The menace could only be contained and eliminated if all institutions operate in tandem after forging national political unity. Without this, we may get strangled in internal strife of attrition providing the much sought after opportunity to the enemy to build upon our failures.
The immediate question that agitates at this stage is what the government’s agencies have been doing to pre-empt the occurrence of such abhorrent incidents that have upped during the not too distant past. The recent reported serious bid to set up a framework of coordination among all the intelligence agencies, though belatedly, is the step in the right direction.
The emerging regional and political situation the country is confronted with offers the enemy countries rare opportunity for dubbing in the troubled waters. The daunting task may become easier as there are no signs of showing appreciation for forging national unity as far as the ruling Party leadership is concerned. The government and Opposition are at loggerheads incessantly with no sense of urgency for the course correction when dangers sprouting from the East and Western borders are on our head. The basic responsibility to unite nation lies on the shoulders of the government to use its leverage to make qualitative difference by reaching out to the Opposition leaders in view of the serious situation the country is more likely dragged in. Ironically, the juggernaut of the government for the wrong reasons has not taken the back seat and indeed upticking of the onslaught with overtones of insult and unsavory language against the political opponents has been continuing without remorse. One is afraid of the myopic vision of the ruling elite that may draw closer to the unintended predictable consequences if it continues to harp on the same tune during the foreseeable future. The Prime Minister’s speech last week during his election campaign in (AJK) clearly manifested that he was not interested in mending fences with the Opposition parties who were seemingly equally prepared to pay him the compliments in equal measure if not more. The ruling party may not surely be exonerated of the abomination of political polarization in the country by creating as many fault lines as possible in its bid to stay above at the totem pole that may end up as a pole of embarrassment at the end of the day. By spewing venoms on the political opponents without realizing the deadly fall out for the country at this juncture may be tricky. As such, the Politics of revenge and victimization may pave the way for the politics of cooperation and co-existence as national security is at stake. The piece of advice may fall flat because, ‘the prince who is not wise himself cannot be well advised’.
The situation on the Western borders is extremely dicey and it may get uglier if the Afghan government and Taliban fail to hammer out an agreement of power sharing prior to complete drawdown of US troops by the end of next month. The failure may surely trigger civil war in the country and its fall out may suck Pakistan into including other neighboring countries and beyond.
Odds are seemingly stacking against Pakistan as the Afghanistan situation may spiral out of control warranting paradigm shift in the form of forging national unity. Those who refuse to understand the co-relationship between the ground realities and paradigm shift may well get ready to face the mercurial consequences because reality has to reassert itself regardless of the scale of efforts put in to turn the tide. The reality is that Pakistan's political landscape is bitterly divided against itself and needs to take turns to promote national unity to face the formidable challenges that are indeed dicey in their magnitude and scale. How ironic is it that the government’s leadership recognizes the challenges but miserably fails to take corrective measures to bulwark the challenges?
Reports and symbolism suggest that the Establishment is also worried because the present political situation may be exceedingly detrimental to the security of the country. (muhammadshaheediyahoo.com)