PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphatically stated that the political government and constitutional institutions were in unprecedented harmony, cooperation and unity in the country. Addressing the National Ulema Convention in Islamabad on Thursday, the PM said he was saying that with full confidence in the light of his forty-year political experience that the cooperation between the political government and the army chief has certainly been unprecedented and a role model for the future. On his party, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir won hearts and minds of not only his audience but infused a new spirit among all ranks of the nation by declaring that Pakistan was there to stay forever, adding “Millions of Asim Munirs, politicians and religious scholars will be sacrificed for Pakistan because the country is more important than us.” He also had a firm message for those who are trying to create anarchy in the country either through their terror agenda or misusing the social media to sow seeds of despondency among people of Pakistan.
The statements of the civilian and military leadership would go a long way in setting things in the right perspective as far as the prevailing situation in the country is concerned. These assume special importance in the backdrop of rumour mongering by some vested interests, who are spearheading a campaign to destabilize the elected Government by giving deadlines for its fall and possibility of fresh elections within the next few months. As the Prime Minister was referring to the unprecedented harmony between the Government and institutions, PTI founding Chairperson Imran Khan predicted that the incumbent rulers have just two months in power. These remarks are in line with earlier claims that foresaw a change after assumption of office by the new Chief Justice of Pakistan later this year. Generally, such claims are made by political leaders to keep their fellows and supporters in good spirit and are also in continuation of what we have been observing in this country for decades. It is because of the short-sightedness on the part of the political parties that they do not respect the mandate of the people despite their tall claims about love for democracy and frequently resort to the leg pulling of the party in power. They forget that such myopic approaches are suicidal for policies, programmes and efforts being made to reform the economy and accelerate the pace of economic activities. As the country suffers, the political parties also suffer because they cannot implement their agendas aimed at promoting welfare of the people. As for remarks of the Prime Minister, there is no doubt that the Pakistan Army has taken an institutional decision to remain apolitical and, therefore, it is wholeheartedly supporting all efforts of the Government to stabilize the economy. This is evident from the role being played through the newly created Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as well as cooperation extended to deal with various mafias that harm the national economy in different ways. This close coordination and cooperation would surely lend stability to the economy and the system as decisions on important issues are taken with input from different stakeholders and implemented in similar spirit. It is also in this backdrop that the Army Chief has unequivocally declared not to allow anyone to create anarchy as ‘Fisad Fil Arz’ is the biggest crime. Those challenging the writ of the state in any manner are not doing any service to the religion of peace and therefore, the Army Chief has justifiably made an impassioned appeal to Ulema and Mashaikh to encourage tolerance and unity in society instead of extremism or discrimination, saying that they should “bring back moderation in the society and reject corruption. As for prospects for a national dialogue, nothing can be said with certainty as U-turns have become a norm but the fact remains there is no substitute to discussions and dialogue to sort out irritants and differences. Even fresh elections are unlikely to offer any solution to the challenges facing the country if root causes of polarization are not addressed and all stakeholders align their policies to national interests.
