Constitutional roles

For far too long have political, legal and social commentators advocated for a system in Pakistan that adheres to the scheme laid out by the constitution. For far too long that system has been eroded. Today, things seem to be changing – and yet we see efforts to stem a turn for the better. In question is the idea of the assigned constitutional roles for all arms of the government. The constitution is clear and unambiguous over who gets to perform what role. Unfortunately, institutions and political actors have historically favoured a more grey approach to the matter. Encouragingly, the military has in recent months opted to back out of playing any political role. Starting from last year, this seems to be the new normal for the institution – something that should be welcomed and encouraged. Per reports, COAS General Asim Munir has made it clear that he has no desire and no plans to intervene in political matters, reiterating reportedly that it is not the institution’s role to affect agreements between politicians or to interfere in politics in any fashion.

This comes on the heels of Imran Khan saying that he would be willing to meet the COAS. One wonders why he would wish to bring into the mix an institution that has said that it would prefer to remain ‘neutral’ in political matters. Since last year, Imran has gone back and forth on the country’s institutions – at times exhorting the ‘neutrals’ to help, at times accusing them of being ‘neutral’. Ever since the coalition government replaced the PTI government in April 2022, Imran has made several such public pronouncements. But this is not just about one party. Any political actor now trying to make unconstitutional requests is only adding to a long history of apolitical interventions. It has been to the detriment to the country that its political stakeholders have always tried to outdo each other in the race to become the favoured party or politician of unelected institutions – whether the military or the judiciary.

It is essential that politicians learn to solve their own problems and in the present scenario create a spirit in which they can at least talk to each other and work towards building a consensus on national matters, the most significant of which at the present time is building a charter of economy for a people struggling to survive. Within the Pakistani constitution each institution has been given its role and its function is defined. In this context, the role of the military is quite clear. It is of much relief that there appears to have been a recognition of this fact among the institution itself. If this is continued with consistency, we may have an opportunity to create a true democracy run by elected representatives themselves so that the country can move forward without interruptions. It is now incumbent upon all political parties to ensure that they do not look towards institutional interventions for ‘political support’ and instead let them focus on their job and leave politics to the political class. We have written before in these pages as well that if an institution is claiming neutrality, welcome it. If democracy is really what political parties intend to uphold, then do it without being propped up by apolitical forces. It is now not just on the institution to ensure this is upheld as policy but also on our political forces to learn to talk to each other without mediators – a new normal that should be welcomed by all.