Sajjad Ahmad Khan
Pakistan is mired in a web of grave man-made issues. The desolate folks are impatiently anticipating the arrival of the saviour, who would mend and stitch their wounds. Will a saviour ever come? No, because the elites of the nation have created these swamps themselves to trap each other and the poor people. Politicians’ lust and gargantuan appetite are at blame for Pakistan’s current issues. According to Sir Winston Churchill, democracy is the worst type of governance, yet it is still superior to all other systems that have been tried. Even after weighing the benefits and drawbacks of democracy, it still reigns as the most popular system of governance worldwide. Every political party in Pakistan, claims to be the defender of the democratic system, but in actuality, everyone is a power-hungry bunch. The action, antics, and tendencies of our politicians are hell-bent on paving the way for boots to march in the corridors of parliament and hold the reins of government once more. The prognosis is bleak when we consider the state of affairs in Pakistan.
The widening gulf between the haves and the have-nots, regional, racial and linguistic biases have increased the political and social polarisation in Pakistan to an alarming extent. The polarisation results in a milieu where compromise and efforts to reach a consensus are referred to as weakness while a constructive discourse is seen as alien. Consequent upon that an impotent- dysfunctional political system develops, as we have seen in Pakistan.
On the one hand, the dragon of terrorism is consuming the blood of innocent people, while on the other, the epidemic of poverty is increasing day by day. The security forces and innocent people are being massacred. Neither markets nor places of worship are safe. People are anxious about earning two loaves of bread just for survival. Poverty is on rise; long lines are seen to get sacks of flour; those standing in the lines are mostly white-collar people. Pakistan’s economy is now being ventilated. Pakistan’s negotiations with the IMF are going nowhere and are at a standstill. Talks to acquire a loan package from the IMF could be further derailed by tensions between the government and opposition (on the street). Our foreign exchange holdings are at an all-time low. Pakistan is unable to settle its obligations abroad. The incumbent government is bereaved of any tangible plan to resuscitate the country’s faltering economy. The country is on the verge of going bankrupt due to its internal debt load as well as its external debt. The government’s capacity for change and improvement has been further hampered by internal conflicts.
The bad law and order situation can be well estimated from the fact that when you take out your mobile phone from your pocket, you are afraid that someone might snatch it. There is no such window in the country that you may open and feel a whiff of fragrance. From the political window, only abuses and accusations smell. Bullying and gaining power have become the sole moto of our politicians. All institutions are engaged in defamation game. All institutions have stripped one another. This time, not even the judiciary is immune to criticism, and the politicians have begun to claim that the country is under judicial martial law. A resolution voted by the legislature calls for limiting the judiciary’s authority. The resolution urges the judiciary to change its approach to interfering with the powers of other institutions. The primary stance of the government is that, in accordance with Article 224 of the Pakistani Constitution, the Election Commission has the authority to announce elections on a specific date. It would be better for the judiciary to stay out of the way and hold off the country from becoming the victim of a constitutional crisis. In Pakistan, judicial activism is extremely aggressive compared to other democratic nations, which is unquestionably to blame for the constitutional problem. The Supreme Court of Pakistan can freely exercise its powers under Article 184(3) on any matter. By holding conferences, which is comparable to mocking the problems, the government hopes to solve the nation’s issues. The current circumstance demonstrates that we stand in a dire need of a strong dispute resolution platform. We, unfortunately, lack a venue like the one that a parliament provides in a democracy to settle conflicts amicably. But I must admit, much to my dismay, that among Pakistan’s state institutions, the parliament is the least strong. If this impasse continues, the political order will undoubtedly disintegrate. And then the soldiers of 102 Brigade will be called to remove the debris of the collapsed political system. Additionally, the possibility of anarchy looms, which could lead to a more severe scenario than a constitutional crisis. It is difficult to predict how the political scene of Pakistan will be in the next few weeks. At this point, the only thing that can be expected is that the crisis may become more serious in the coming days. Finally, I wonder if we are about to turn to history and our ears will suddenly hear the words, ‘My dear countrymen’.
