No time for anarchy

The backbone of any country is its economy; if it’s flourishing then there is sustainability and growth but if it is tumbling then there is a problem.

Pakistan’s feeble economy has major punctures; the leakages are so bad that it can’t carry the weight of the passengers and the vehicle unless all four tyres are fixed. So, here comes the major problem: the passengers are not on the same page and the new driver is being constantly poked by the former who is stubborn and wants to get back to the driving seat by hook or by crook. But we all know how careless and unprofessional he has been, so giving him the charge again would be nothing but a blunder.

The IMF has imposed stricter conditions to further continue the programme and unfortunately we have to follow their conditions in order to escape default. Meanwhile our reserves are shrinking day by day and the inflation rate has also been record-breaking. So clearly this is a critical time and the most affected ones are the middle classes and the daily wagers. In fact, even the elite and the business community are severely affected by the economic situation.

There has also been an abrupt re-emergence of terrorism. So there is an economic emergency and there is a law and order situation. Both are matters of serious concern. These multi-dimensional issues have stressed out the government which just took charge. But, that’s not all: there is also political unrest triggered by an anarchist.

The anarchist is hellbent on taking back power at any cost. First he resigned from the National Assembly and then himself contested from multiple seats which clearly didn’t make any sense. Then he announced a long march which failed miserably and then he dissolved two provincial assemblies to bring in more turmoil. He also blamed the US for toppling his government and after a few months he took a drastic U-turn just to mend ties with Washington.

It’s evident that the anarchist has polarized every institution for his personal gains, but surprisingly he still has support. Maybe the plan was to whitewash the anarchist and bring him back to power.

With no plan and a clumsy team, the anarchist has proven to be a bad experiment and his tenure will be written as the worst in the books of political history. His only motto was to silence every opposing voice and put all opponents behind bars. The myth about his honesty was also broken recently when the Toshakhana and foreign funding cases were unearthed. But the rules of business and justice for this blue-eyed are different.

In democracy no party or individual is above the law, and everyone has to go through the same due process of accountability. For many years the anarchist has been bragging about British parliament and Western democracy but when it comes to practice he is no less than an autocrat. In democracy if you lose the confidence of your members you accept and resign gracefully but he couldn’t digest his defeat.

At a time when the country needs consensus on major issues, this attitude is spreading chaos and anarchy. The ‘jail bharo tehreek’ was a nuisance just to heat up the political temperature. While a bunch of the PTI’s second-tier leadership voluntarily courted arrest, he easily took bail and does not seem to be in a mood to spend time behind bars.

Pakistan holds strategic importance in the region and cannot afford further adventures and experiments. Parliament should be empowered with no strings attached, and the people should be given a fair chance to decide which party or leader is best for them. There is no room for anarchy – the only way out is consensus, prosperity and uninterrupted democracy.

The writer is a columnist and social activist.

He tweets @MustafaBaloch_