Obduracy to paradigm shift

Political situation in the country is increasingly becoming fluid with no sign of abating due to the government’s determination to punish the political opponents to the grave. The country may therefore continue to remain engulfed in political instability with good governance as collateral fatality. The PTI leadership sadly is not at all willing to appreciate and reciprocate the dynamics of the functioning democracy because its gruesome witch-hunting against the political opponents, looking legendry, is continuing even after the embarrassment of notification about the extension of the Army Chief’s tenure. The cascades of embarrassments and failures during PTI watch indeed have failed to convince the leadership that without the cooperation of the Opposition its advancements may embrace the familiar fate—like treading on the treadmill but getting nowhere.

It is worrisome for the party stalwarts and indeed to the ubiquitous supporters who are seemingly getting upset to the extent of leaving them high and dry. The prime minister’s alacrity to impose his brand of self-righteousness to run the country —without the cooperation of the formidable Opposition — is appallingly negative approach that may precipitate the unfolding of the ultimate misfortune for the government.

The probability of such development may sound plausible partly after the mishandling of the Army Chief’s extension of tenure notification, coalition partners’ uneasy co-existence, the Opposition’s united demand and the PTI leadership’s obduracy towards the paradigm shift.

Theories are abounds suggesting method in madness. For, it was impossible from the well trained and experienced official tiers of scrutiny and vetting sitting in the PM House, Law Ministry headed by a competent Law Minister and of the Cabinet Division to commit such repeated blunders on the subject matter. If not, then the theory of method in madness may lend credence to conspiracies those are making rounds unabatedly right across.

The Chief Justice’s valid observation during the proceedings explicitly indicated that nobody seemingly took the trouble to go through the whole process of issuing the notification of Army Chief’s extension of tenure that was shockingly mired in legal and technical lacunas of embarrassing nature.

The vortex of politics in Pakistan may be heading to force the “in House Change” within next few months as the major Opposition parties have come around convincing as its major demand. Opposition main parties in general and the PPP in particular, may surely strive for this for being closer to their major political preference focused to secure the continuity of the democratic system and also get rid of the present rulers. But such change may, as forcefully warned by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, may not be like replacing one ‘selected Prime Minister’ with another selected prime minister. It may be recalled that the Chairman also spoke in favour of the national government so important to handle the grave challenges facing the country those continue to loom larger under this government.

This government has miserably failed to deliver and its continuity may harm the country to the irredeemable proportion. The protagonists of the government are also seemingly perplexed and getting annoyed with every passing day due to the incumbent leadership’s misguided and flawed policies reinforcing failures in all walks of life. The prime minister is seemingly bent upon forging political disunity instead of the unity in the country which is the dire need of the hour to overcome the challenges posing existential threat. But he does not care and his juggernaut to the collective chagrin is continuing. The worrying aspect of the PTI government leadership is its lack of ability to revisit its policies with the changed realities. The country is getting neck deep in the morass of problems exponentially but the self-righteousness of the incumbent leadership continues to remain at odd no matter the people are crying hoarse for redemption. The biggest fixation of the prime minister is the chief minister of Punjab who is continuing as the chief minister of the biggest province despite his poor governance and oozing in charisma, competence and indeed has run of ideas. His party lawmakers and even the Establishment are seemingly getting grumpy. No wonders the people’s comfort zone with the government has withered away so soon.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto in his recent media encounter has underscored the importance of change of the prime minister within few months to save the country, democracy and the federation. His allies and even ruling party members are getting frustrated with the policies that are indeed instrumental to multiplying the miseries of the people who are now confronting the mandarins with piercing questioning on poor performance. They are outrageous because the unprecedented inflation has eaten up their meager incomes as it is considered tax on poor. The level of unemployment is all times high and the bulging frustrated youth is becoming increasingly unforgiving towards the government. They are sick of the platitudes asserted over and over again by the PTI leadership of better tomorrow meaning nothing but playing to the gallery. They must understand that platitudes without follow up actions are dangerous by all accounts.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif has also spoke in favour of the ‘in House Change’ to get rid of the incumbent Prime Minister who is increasingly becoming liability for the country adding his continuing to hold the coveted Office may surely bring about the untold miseries for the country and the people alike. The senior leadership of PML-N is now in London to formulate the strategies on various political issues focusing on bringing change at the highest level with the cooperation of the other political forces including the allies of this government. The open criticism of the PML-Q and Akhtar Mengal of BNP, is considered quite significant developments capable of rocking the whole set-up of the government. The withdrawal of the support of the two parties may be quite enough to pass the no-confidence motion against the government. The slim majority in the House of the ruling elite is already hanging by a thread, so vulnerable to the slightest shift of the coalition partners. The significant numbers of turn coats in the government are quite capable of crossing the floor at the wink of the power that be without an iota of compunction.

The Supreme Court order while extending the six months period of the tenure of the incumbent Army Chief has given the instructions to the lawmakers to legislate on the terms and conditions of the service of Army Chief by the Parliament as the illegality or uncertainty in this regard is not maintainable.

The government on its part has hurriedly formed a committee to get in touch with Opposition to formulate the basis for evolving political consensus as the Army Chief Office should carry the support of the people of the entire country. It is important because the Army Chief has to deal with the security of the entire country. The Army may surely be keen to see the said law is passed with political consensus. For that to happen, the government has to come down of the white horse to appreciate the ground political realities and reciprocate accordingly as a quid pro quo.

The incumbent ruling leadership may not have the cake and eat it too. If it continues the policy of witch-hunting and political victimisation then the evolving of political consensus may be look like a pipe dream. Political victimisation and seeking political cooperation of the Opposition simultaneously cannot go hand in hand. If there is no let-up in the hounding of the political Opponents the government’s maladies may be established beyond doubt. It may explicitly signify that the government is not interested in evolving the political consensus and wants to shift the blame of it on the Opposition.

The deadlock seems the forgone conclusion on the legislation that is likely to provide the foundations to the quarters in favour of new thinking to get the country out of the political imbroglio.

There is one view that the PTI leadership may drag the enactment of the legislation as a well thought-out strategy. The prime minister most likely will continue the policy of putting the political opponents behind bars anticipating their refusal to extend political support to the legislation pertaining to the fixation of terms and conditions of the service of Army Chief.

The government may put the entire blame on the Opposition as instrumental of making the Army controversial with a view to extract concessions from the government in to go slow on so-called corruption cases. The Opposition may pay back in equal measures by asserting that the ruling party was deliberately delaying the legislation to project the Opposition as hostile to the Army in order to keep the institution on their side of the equation. The tactics of the ruling party may not last longer for being hypocritical if not farcical. The Establishment, as per demand of the Opposition, may decide to maintain safe distance from the whole political slugfest. It may send the right message to the government to correct its course or else read writing on the wall.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com