Zaheer Bhatti
ONE wishes to be neither in the Government shoes nor in those of the Opposition; as both sides appear hell-bent on spoiling the broth and projecting Pakistan’s image abroad as murky as it has been due to political instability mostly caused by the very elements which are supposed to boost it through political maturity. One does not know where to begin, but assuming that despite seeing the spectre of an armed Pakistan-India showdown looming large, each one instead of displaying national unity to face up to the impending challenge, was busy point scoring over petty things they assume to be getting political mileage out of, and seem poised to neutralizing whatever gains Pakistan’s Armed Forces were registering against enemy India without yet having gone to a conventional war.
Imran Khan having scored a diplomatic victory at the UN with his measured expose, has squandered the chance of eliciting support of the political Opposition by shying away from inviting them over upon his return, to share the diplomatic mileage made and to hammer out together a national strategy to tackle Modi and the Kashmir issue. Had he climbed down from his self-assumed pedestal and curbed his solo flight instincts, he could have won them over morally at least by this gesture without having to get them off the hook in the accountability process and taken the wind out of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s sails which instead, he has allowed to inflate with unqualified support of the Opposition to the Maulana who now claims to represent majority of the votes polled in the last muddied election.
Although hawks in both countries would wish to lock horns sooner, Pakistan’s military is displaying exemplary resilience and poise in responding to each provocation in a more discrete but telling manner. The credit they must take is for the fact that while indiscriminate Indian shelling across the LOC and thousands of its cross-border incursions have been aimed at peaceful citizens of Azad Kashmir, Pakistani response which has never been found wanting, has been measured and targeted against enemy forces avoiding civilian population on the other side which comprises Pakistan’s own kith and kin separated by the Control Line. Despite this handicap of having to operate discretely to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Pakistan has accounted for far greater number of Indian soldiers each time with their innumerable bunkers destroyed.
Indian exaggerations and accusations of terrorism from across Pakistan with which it had so far successfully fooled the world, are no longer sinking in; so much so that even the US which had been backing the Indian bluffs blindfolded after self-staged terror episodes like the Delhi Parliament, Mumbai, Pathankot in India, and Uri and Pulwama in India-occupied Kashmir, followed by its false flag Operation like Pulwama which badly boomeranged, is beginning to be cautious and no longer giving India open support. The US congressional hearing for the first time is seized of the rights abuse in occupied Kashmir with 70 Congressmen expressing grave concern over the humanitarian situation resulting from unilateral Indian merger action, besides electoral candidates publicly voicing their indignation over the siege, speak volumes about the changing worldview.
But rather than following up on the global development concertedly, the self-inflicted political strife by Pakistani leadership is wasting the opportunity. One had craved to see the Khan live up to his maiden informal address to the nation from his Bani Gala resort which promised an even playing field for all and a quid pro quo for all individuals and national institutions, his lack of flexibility is fast pushing him into a blind alley. The opposition on the other hand also looks directionless merely foul-mouthing unsubstantiated failures of the Prime Minister and asking him to quit after barely one fourth of his term in office which in their own case they had considered their right to complete. Politicians in Pakistan do not tire complaining that civilian Governments were never allowed to complete their term, but are shooting themselves in the foot asking to send home one of their own ilk and constituency prematurely. Funny is it not!
As for the last election which the opposition claims was rigged and managed, for all one remembers there was instant cry of manipulation even during the poll and the days that followed when most polling agents at various polling Stations complained about non-issuance of election results on Form-45 by the Presiding Officer duly signed by all of them. The plea extended by the Election Commission that failure of the Result Transmission System (RTS) caused inordinate delays in declaration of results made the justification look further dicey. Nothing was heard of it since, until this most inopportune moment when instead of confronting the enemy in unison, the Opposition was discordantly letting it off the hook.
One wishes to know why the Opposition chose to sleep over it when the iron was hot, and why it has re-dawned upon it 15 months after conclusion of the electoral exercise to yell foul, for which in any case Parliament and not the streets are the right place to agitate. Although the time given to the sitting Government which was already showing signs of getting on course by the World Bank on progress over ease of business in Pakistan improving by 28 spots, a PM or his Government cannot be sent home without a vote of ‘No Confidence’ or en-block resignations to cause a re-election. Politicians demand fresh election as if it was a game of scrabbles, whereas it is no joke holding a colossal electioneering exercise entailing enormous time, expense and manpower resources, which a cash-starved country such as Pakistan can ill-afford so frequently. As this piece goes to the Press, the Government and the Opposition are engaged in negotiations to have better sense prevail over the threatened protest march of the Opposition and its possible political fall-out, while world is watching.
—The writer is a media professional, member of Pioneering team of PTV and a veteran ex Director Programmes.
