PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is otherwise considered to be a man of reconciliation, has talked about tough decisions and strict measures to rid the country of politics of agitation and ensure stability. While addressing the Federal Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he said it is time to decide whether we save Pakistan or allow sit-ins to take place. In a related development, Senator Faisal Vowda has claimed that the PTI might be banned because of its violent protests.
It is not sure what the Prime Minister meant by strict measures but the continuation of politics of violence, strikes and sit-ins aimed at jeopardizing routine life and governance definitely call for a consultative process among all stakeholders, especially political parties to agree on a code of conduct to promote healthy politics. This is because, as pointed out by the Prime Minister, the country suffered huge losses due to protests and the counter-measures adopted by the Federal and the Punjab Government to ensure safety of life and property of citizens in the face of ‘do or die’ plans of the PTI. The economy faced losses worth Rs. 190 billion per day and the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which was otherwise booming, suffered losses of four thousand points due to the uncertain and chaotic situation. Mutual consultations on the way forward is the right approach but it would not be a wise option to ban a popular political party. It may be noted that in July, the government announced its plans to ban the former ruling party for its “involvement” in the May 9 riots, which saw military installations being vandalised and the party’s alleged attempts to sabotage Pakistan’s deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). And now again, similar demands are coming from Balochistan for the purpose but such a recourse is unlikely to yield desired results and instead might land the country in further trouble. No doubt, as confirmed by what happened to the D-Chowk protest, the State has the ability to enforce its writ but extreme measures add salt to the injuries whereas we need a healing touch to promote national reconciliation and unity. It is understandable that this objective cannot be achieved only through demonstration of flexibility by the Government and the PTI too will have to abandon the path of protests, giving preference to dialogue and discussions to sort out differences.
The D-Chowk episode has sent a sharp reminder that the governments cannot be dislodged through pressure tactics but instead of learning a lesson, the party is insisting the protest was ongoing, forgetting that such a policy is pushing it to the dead end. In this backdrop, all patriotic people will surely welcome the statement of JUI(F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who condemned recent violent incidents in Islamabad and expressed his willingness to mediate with the PTI if it maintains contact. He further highlighted the need for continuous dialogue with PTI, stating that while he is willing to play a mediating role, the party has not remained consistently in contact. He rightly pointed out that the leadership of political parties should inculcate a sense of discipline among its workers to ensure gatherings remain peaceful as proved by the Azadi March of the PDM. We hope the Maulana will take practical measures to help reduce the tension in the greater interest of the country. A beginning can be made by the release of all those against whom there is no evidence of violence or vandalism. Legal action must be taken against those who indulged in criminal activities like attacks on personnel of law enforcing agencies and damaged private or public properties.
