One spared, other disqualified

Head of PPP Media Cell

The Supreme Court judgment on PTI leaders’ disqualification case is being described as a “Balancing Act.” Without indulging into its merits or demerits at this stage, unfortunately it has come at a time when ‘democracy has already hit the wall.’ Apparently, the Panama Papers’ case decision triggered the political instability in the country choking the national life in multiple ways including functioning of democracy on even keel. Its aftermaths also tarnished the image of the country worldwide that undisputedly took the nosedive. The sudden emergence of the religious fanatics groups and their supporters kept the twin city, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and Lahore, as hostage for more than three weeks. It was followed by the document of surrender implying the state and non-state actors have cut the democracy and the politicians to size with their added misplaced confidence. The judiciary was also hurled abusive language by the protestors without fear of any legal consequences. The surrender to sit-in protestors raised many questions those needed explanation as echoed in the Senate on Friday last. Mohsin Hameed, Pakistani writer, nominee of Booker Prize, circumscribed it recently as the end of uneasy co-existence among the state institutions hugely in favour of religious extremists.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto while commenting on the apex court judgment has precisely described in his tweeter ‘the ATM is out of order’ adding one person was qualified another disqualified on the basis of the same reason. PPP Secretary Information Chaudhry Manzoor’s comments apparently endorse the perception of ‘balancing act’ as he opined that the Panama Papers’ judgment disqualified the number one of the PML-N and spared the next one. In the recent court decision, the number one has been spared while the next important in the line of hierarchy of the PTI has been disqualified for life. The perception of ‘balancing act’ may get further entrenched during the course of time as it is likely to get strengthened. The PTI may not be able to recover sufficiently from the political fall-out of the disqualification of its secretary general because he was very close to the chairman in taking important political decisions not to mention of his generous financial support to carry out the mega political activities entailing huge expenditures. His resignation from the party position points to the heavy blow to the party during the critical times. PTI is in awkward position as it has been vehemently opposing the disqualified prime minister’s holding the top position of the PML-N after his disqualification by the Supreme Court. It may find itself in the same labyrinth from where the way out seems difficult and embarrassing too.

Sadly, Quaid’s Pakistan is under attack not so much from foreign enemies but more so from the domestic constituencies. The frenzy of lynching the country is continuing mercilessly from multiple fronts. Sanity, objectivity, equanimity and equivocal commitment are in short supply to stem the rot of self-annihilation. Political class of worth mentioning, not PPPP, is engaged in a duel to the bitter end detesting co-existence. State institutions’ perpetual race for institutional domination cobbled with the demagogues’ self-righteousness and bellicosity for unilateral imposition, are not good omen. The prognosis of this trend may push the state to the brink of lamentable and predictable consequences. No fair minded and patriotic citizen of this country may remain optimistic about the future in these likely emerging chaotic conditions. How a nation can progress when the full-spectrum leadership is engaged in deadly power politics for power sake? The nation needs a courageous, dedicated and visionary leadership to lift the morale of people that is at the lowest level at present. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has blown the whistle and Opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah has expressed his concern almost endorsing his apprehensions when he commented,’ the Speaker must have smelled blood.’

Hearts of the silent majority of Pakistani are bleeding without respite, but who cares. The nation has been going through the torture of unmitigated uncertainty. The civil and state institutions top leaders are at loggerheads presumably fighting intriguingly against each other at the expense of the country’s image and its future. It seems the pall has dropped on their senses and understandings as they are oblivious of the grave inevitable ramifications of their shenanigans for the country and the democracy. Their bellowing of allegations and insults on each other make our heads hang in shame with embarrassment but not of them. The international community is laughing at us while the movers and shakers of this country do not realise the impact of their dicey game playing with the collective destiny of the nation. The question that certainly agitates the mind is as if their sense of proportion and foresight are grossly out of tune to the national woes.

Mob rule is increasingly sinking deeper in the society in place of rule of law, and state institutions’ varying perspective making the situation more problematic amounting to propping up rather nailing down the miscreants. It may be going to be free for all in the final analysis where life of the common people may be poor, nasty, and brutish and may be short in the words of Hobbes, French Political philosopher. This terrifies the people except the lackluster state institutions and their apologists who are bent upon inflicting mayhem on this country by design or by default. The likely consequences are equally fatal and unforgiving in both cases.

The country has plunged into a deep crisis as a snowball impact after the Panama Papers’ judgment by the Supreme Court dispensing justice what has been editorially commented by an esteemed English daily as ‘disproportionate.’ The great mind of the honourable judges of the Supreme Court might well have taken into account the possibility of political and social fall-out of their judgment in the case that was seemingly a political case as opposed to legal. It might have been preferred if the apex court had refused its train ability for being a political case. It may not be out of place to mention cases decided by the US Supreme Court, those were not in the Federal List of the US constitution, playing vital role in the consolidation of the Federation of the country and its political system. In such cases, the court may not go strictly by the book but tend to balance the spirit of the constitution and exigencies of federalism as being the ultimate objective of the constitution. In our case, sadly, the apex court decided the important cases those weakened or obliterated the political system. The Doctrine of Necessity and provision of legal cover to the military dictators’ takeovers of the country are the decisions those emboldened the successive tyrants to pollute the political horizon of the country.

By throwing back the political case to the politicians by the apex court, the prospects of their amicable resolution might have been probably greater. Secondly, the politicians certainly would have invoked their instinct of art of possible to get out of the political turmoil unscathed. The country would have not faced the political uncertainty as it had been going through since. The vortex does not hold promising political future as extremists have come out to challenge the writ of the state, and indeed have demonstrated it because state was laying spine before them for more than three weeks. The siege was lifted only after the state accepting their all outlandish demands amounting to shameful capitulation.

It was indeed crass miscalculation on the part of the ruling party not to accept the TORs of the combined Opposition suggesting the probe of Panama Papers’ allegations be carried out by the Parliament. Opposition leader had warned the then prime minister of the dire consequences if the case were to be decided by the other than the parliamentary forum. But the prime minister did not pay heed to his sane advice. It provided a much awaited opportunity to the forces to jump in the foray to do their biddings or of others. That is what has been going on since then. The status of the Parliament as the mother of all other institutions had been greatly compromised and now the heavy price was being paid by all because “democracy has hit the wall”. The Parliament’s status as the forum to address the political issues suffered a severe jolt to the parliamentary practices. Secondly, the gulf between the Opposition and treasury benches widened hurting the prospects of future political consensus on important national issues. Thirdly, the politics of the country seems to be in reverse gear contrary to the aspirations of the people. May God help and guide the leadership to think above party or institutional politics for the sake of the continuity of democracy. Pakistan can only survive and thrive under democratic dispensation. All other models have failed and cannot be different this time as well.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com