IT is lamentable that the virtues of seriousness, maturity and decency that people of Pakistan expect from politicians and political parties are not forthcoming despite jolts of various sorts experienced by the country’s political landscape. After peaceful culmination of the Azadi March and sit-in and historic verdict of the Supreme Court in the case relating to extension of the Army Chief, it was expected that the political leadership would shun rhetoric and promote national reconciliation but that remains an elusive dream at the altar of political expediencies.
Saner voices have all along been counselling that both the government and the opposition should exercise restraint but their verbal duels intensified during the last few days and it was because of the acrimonious atmosphere that the two sides could not reach a consensus on crucial appointments in the Election Commission of Pakistan. That the issue has been taken to the Supreme Court is indicative of the level of mistrust between the two sides. The situation is so confused that both Leader of the Opposition Mian Shahbaz Sharif and PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are now talking about in-house change. The Opposition is also hinting that it was unlikely to cooperate in the passage of legislation regarding appointment and extension of tenure of the COAS before such a change. Unfortunately, NAB also became active these days and moved quickly to freeze 23 properties of Shahbaz Family, an act, which Shahbaz describes as product of Niazi-NAB nexus. Freezing of assets and filing of reference against former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others in LNG case has apparently vitiated the atmosphere and spoiled chances of any reconciliation, barring some unforeseen development. All this does not augur well for smooth functioning of the system and the tense atmosphere is sure to divert attention of the Government from its real job of resolving challenges facing the country and providing relief to the inflation-ridden masses.
