On Tuesday Imran Khan recounted some of the mistakes he had committed after becoming the country’s Prime Minister. He said he did not approach the IMF soon enough after taking over and did not initiate the much needed reforms in the public sector, including the power sector, the PIA and the Pakistan Steel Mills. He confessed that failure to implement reforms immediately hurt the country. What he failed to admit is that hubris led him to commit perhaps the biggest blunder of his political career, of refusing to talk and interact with an opposition willing to cooperate with the government. It was after more than two years of neglect and persecution that the opposition was forced to take to the streets. A day earlier, Mr Khan had arrogantly dismissed the PDM’s protests, maintaining that even if it held 10 rallies at Minar-e-Pakistan, it wouldn’t make any difference.
This has led the opposition to reject Mr Khan’s offer for talks which was again predicated on the opposition not seeking the NRO which the opposition has denied umpteen times of having ever sought. Many had wished however that the opposition chose a different time for initiating the movement to avoid being held responsible for helping in the spread the coronavirus. One also expected the opposition to be more responsible than the PTI government. As the opposition goes ahead with the agitation, it too is liable to be blamed for showing scant respect for human life.
It needs to be recognized that social convulsions will continue to pose threats to national economy, internal security and the system itself as long as the imbalances created in the system remain embedded. These include transgressions of one institution into another’s turf and the all too familiar and recurring pattern of discreet interference in the elections to replace administrations considered too independent by those expected to act as loyalists. A consensus has to be created over the need for every institution to function precisely within its scope as defined by the Constitution. The national polity has to strictly follow the guidelines provided by the father of the nation.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/09/reason-must-prevail/
Reason must prevail: Editorial in Pakistan Today, Dec 10, 2020
On Tuesday Imran Khan recounted some of the mistakes he had committed after becoming the country’s Prime Minister. He said he did not approach the IMF soon enough after taking over and did not initiate the much needed reforms in the public sector, including the power sector, the PIA and the Pakistan Steel Mills. He confessed that failure to implement reforms immediately hurt the country. What he failed to admit is that hubris led him to commit perhaps the biggest blunder of his political career, of refusing to talk and interact with an opposition willing to cooperate with the government. It was after more than two years of neglect and persecution that the opposition was forced to take to the streets. A day earlier, Mr Khan had arrogantly dismissed the PDM’s protests, maintaining that even if it held 10 rallies at Minar-e-Pakistan, it wouldn’t make any difference.
This has led the opposition to reject Mr Khan’s offer for talks which was again predicated on the opposition not seeking the NRO which the opposition has denied umpteen times of having ever sought. Many had wished however that the opposition chose a different time for initiating the movement to avoid being held responsible for helping in the spread the coronavirus. One also expected the opposition to be more responsible than the PTI government. As the opposition goes ahead with the agitation, it too is liable to be blamed for showing scant respect for human life.
It needs to be recognized that social convulsions will continue to pose threats to national economy, internal security and the system itself as long as the imbalances created in the system remain embedded. These include transgressions of one institution into another’s turf and the all too familiar and recurring pattern of discreet interference in the elections to replace administrations considered too independent by those expected to act as loyalists. A consensus has to be created over the need for every institution to function precisely within its scope as defined by the Constitution. The national polity has to strictly follow the guidelines provided by the father of the nation.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/09/reason-must-prevail/
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan