IN a sudden and surprising move the Federal Minister of information and broadcasting Attaullah Tarar appeared on national television and dropped a bomb shell by announcing the decision of the coalition govt. to ban the Tehreek-i-Insaf, he went on to accuse the PTI leadership of weakening the sovereignty of the state and harming the country’s integrity at the international level. This sudden announcement by the Govt. has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum within the country and abroad. All political stake holders including the partners of the coalition Govt. have very rightly denounced the move as undemocratic and a move smacking of dictatorship and authoritarianism and downright undemocratic and unacceptable in any democratic country. “PTI and Pakistan cannot co-exist,” Tarar told a press conference, saying that the matter would go to the Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
Even by the standards of a checkered political history of Pakistan this move to ban the PTI is nothing short of a poor joke and a reckless move to add fuel to the raging fires of political instability in the country. This new ploy of the govt. does not serve public interest or in any way or helps to improve the fast deteriorating political and economic conditions in the country on the contrary it just shows disrespect for a democratic mandate and the Supreme Court. Given the state of Pakistan’s economy, its internal security challenges and potential for greater civil unrest, it is important for all the stakeholders to take a step back.The ruling coalition in Islamabad — made largely of the PML(N) and PPP — came to power in February under a cloud. The Election Commission of Pakistan had denied the PTI its election symbol just over a month before voting and Khan convicted and jailed under corruption charges, was unable to contest. The PML(N) was widely seen as enjoying the backing of the Army. Despite the system being apparently rigged against it, PTI-backed independents emerged as the single-largest bloc in the National Assembly (NA). Instead of making an effort to burnish its credibility, the government seems to be headed the other way. The announcement of its intent to ban PTI came less than a week after the country’s supreme court recognized the party — it can now nominate minority and women members, which it could not do when its legislators were technically “independents”.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan recently gave an 8 to 5 majority decision in favor of the PTI in the case for reserved seats in the National Assembly. This ruling of the court seems to have put a bee in the bonnet of the ruling coalition and the establishment. This decision is a severe blow to the powers that be. This order of the court not only recognized the PTI as a lawful political party but also gave them their reserved seats in the assembly giving a new lease on life to the PTI. With the new distribution of seats the PTI has emerged as the single largest party in the house with 115 seats to its credit. This arrangement will not damage the PMLN-PPP coalition but the loss of seats will end the two thirds majority of the coalition in both houses denying them the opportunity to move constitution amendments. The acquittal of Imran Khan in the iddat case or illegal marriage by a lower court has further encouraged the PTI and driven the coalition into deeper crisis and frustration. The founder of the PTI has also been acquitted in two other cases and the reckless action to ban the PTI is another sign that the ruling coalition is now desperately catching at straws to save the collapsing coalition govt. at the federal level while the entire political system has been put in grave danger of a total collapse.
This new irresponsible move by the Govt. is not possible without the approval and blessings of Nawaz Sharif the former three times elected Prime Minister. Ironically Nawaz Sharif has learnt nothing from the past. He himself has been removed from power and has failed to complete his tenure three times. He is now playing the same dirty game without thinking of the serious consequences. The decision of some PPP leaders have fully exposed the divide in the ruling dispensation, they have claimed that the PPP was not consulted on this issue. The PPP is the major partner in the coalition and hold the presidency too. It is yet to be seen how the PPP will react to this move of the PMLN. If the PPP decides to support the decision to ban the PTI it will destroy the democratic image of the party that has been the victim of the political engineering by the establishment and so the PPP has to take a clear stand to safeguard the future and credibility of the party.
There are rumors of a state of emergency to be imposed which will curtail the powers of the judiciary and the possibility of a dictatorial rule is visible on the horizon. The economy is sliding down, terrorism is rising and to day Pakistan is in immediate need of political reconciliation rather than confusion and chaos.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
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