Commission, please

The PTI had wisely put its protest on the backburner after the Peshawar school attack but it seems to be getting itchy fingers again. Imran Khan gave the government a deadline of January 18 to appoint a judicial commission to look into allegations of rigging in the 2013 elections, warning street protests would begin otherwise. Imran has shown himself to be unreasonably stubborn but the government too must be taken to task. It had offered to set up the judicial commission before the protest even began, and written to the Supreme Court asking it to do so. Instead of pursuing that matter it no longer seems to be in any mood to reach an agreement with the PTI. Perhaps it feels its position is stronger now that the nation is united in the fight against militancy. In either case, the government needs to reach an agreement with the PTI as soon as possible, and taking steps towards the establishment of the judicial commission would be the best way to do so.
There is, of course, the very real possibility that Imran will shift the goalposts once again even if the judicial commission is set up. The recount ordered in the NA-122 seat where Ayaz Sadiq beat Imran ended up only adding more votes to Sadiq’s tally. The inquiry into the constituency will issue its final report next week, but already Imran is trying to pre-empt its findings by claiming it discovered massive rigging, without being able to explain what this rigging was. The PTI chief, it seems, will only accept the judicial commission’s findings if they tally with his own pre-determined thoughts. The government has not helped matters by showing little agility in dealing with Imran. The negotiations continue but the sticking point now appears to be the judicial commission. The government should bring an end to this farce so that the country isn’t indefinitely held hostage again. The stand-off needs to be done and dusted once and for all.