The writer is the special assistant to the PM on information, a political and security strategist, and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute.
……..For the PDM, which accuses the military of having facilitated the incumbent government into the saddle and whose agitation is directed towards establishing the supremacy of civilian rule, it is a grave travesty to be asking for the removal of a democratically-elected government by non-democratic methods.
If at all, two things need to be done to facilitate the initiation of any such dialogue: one, to convince the opposition to abandon their agitation for the removal of the government; and, two, to make them agree to a dialogue encompassing all relevant matters except the halting of the accountability process.
But there is another reality which is dawning rather quickly: the definitive weakening of the PDM edifice. Instead of tendering resignations, the Central Executive Committee of the PPP has decided to challenge the government at every forum. They have also resolved to participate in the by-elections and the Senate polls with full force and vigour. This is in keeping with their approach so far of having played agitation politics from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F has been jolted by a massive rebellion within its ranks. Some of their key leaders have quit the party and reverted to the original JUI-Pakistan (or JUI-P). They have also unleashed damning allegations against Maulana Fazlur Rehman for reducing the party to a family fiefdom by having only his close relatives elected to the assemblies and the Senate. Addressing a press conference after the first meeting of their party, they called upon the rank and file of the JUI-F to quit and join the JUI-P, which would be run in accordance with the democratic principles that Fazlur Rehman had grossly flouted. Being the keenest player in the movement for tendering resignations from assemblies, he knows full well that his party will be the least affected because it has only a limited number of seats while the bulk belong to the PML-N and the PPP.
The PML-N’s entire leadership has either been convicted or are currently undergoing trial facing numerous serious charges. A large number of them, including Nawaz Sharif, his two sons, and the son and son-in-law of Shahbaz Sharif are absconding. Maryam was also convicted and then released from jail by virtue of a suspended sentence so that she could look after her ailing father, who has since decamped to London and refuses to come back. It is because of a combination of these factors that they don’t have an option other than pushing the matter to the extreme. In doing so, they have targeted state institutions – most notably the military, holding it responsible for having facilitated Khan to the seat of power.
The weakening of the JUI-F and the refusal of the PPP to quit the assemblies has further limited the options for the PML-N. Will they continue in their present belligerent mould, or will they be forced to take a step back and re-evaluate their options under the drastically changed circumstances? If they were to take the former route, would they be able to go the distance with the support of a weakened JUI-F and a PPP insisting on playing the game its own way, or will this be reduced to a solo flight for Maryam?
Alternatively, after having suffered these setbacks, will the PML-N be more inclined to initiating a dialogue with the government? It appears highly unlikely simply because there is nothing substantive that the PML-N has on its wish list except getting an NRO for its leaders. There is no way Prime Minister Khan would yield on that. It is for this reason alone that he has suffered their abuse. Now that the PDM is coming apart, there is no reason for him to show any inclination for a dialogue if reprieve from accountability remains a part of the discussion package.
The internal divisions within the constituent parties of the PDM and the excessively divisive and provocative narrative that has been repeatedly voiced from its platform have rendered the PDM excessively controversial even among its own electorate. It is all but evident that it will soon be buried under the growing weight of its own contradictions and its incessant attempts to win a reprieve from accountability. Some finales are ordained beyond redemption.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/767262-beyond-redemption
Beyond redemption:op-ed by Raoof Hasan in The News, Jan 1, 2021
The writer is the special assistant to the PM on information, a political and security strategist, and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute.
……..For the PDM, which accuses the military of having facilitated the incumbent government into the saddle and whose agitation is directed towards establishing the supremacy of civilian rule, it is a grave travesty to be asking for the removal of a democratically-elected government by non-democratic methods.
If at all, two things need to be done to facilitate the initiation of any such dialogue: one, to convince the opposition to abandon their agitation for the removal of the government; and, two, to make them agree to a dialogue encompassing all relevant matters except the halting of the accountability process.
But there is another reality which is dawning rather quickly: the definitive weakening of the PDM edifice. Instead of tendering resignations, the Central Executive Committee of the PPP has decided to challenge the government at every forum. They have also resolved to participate in the by-elections and the Senate polls with full force and vigour. This is in keeping with their approach so far of having played agitation politics from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the JUI-F has been jolted by a massive rebellion within its ranks. Some of their key leaders have quit the party and reverted to the original JUI-Pakistan (or JUI-P). They have also unleashed damning allegations against Maulana Fazlur Rehman for reducing the party to a family fiefdom by having only his close relatives elected to the assemblies and the Senate. Addressing a press conference after the first meeting of their party, they called upon the rank and file of the JUI-F to quit and join the JUI-P, which would be run in accordance with the democratic principles that Fazlur Rehman had grossly flouted. Being the keenest player in the movement for tendering resignations from assemblies, he knows full well that his party will be the least affected because it has only a limited number of seats while the bulk belong to the PML-N and the PPP.
The PML-N’s entire leadership has either been convicted or are currently undergoing trial facing numerous serious charges. A large number of them, including Nawaz Sharif, his two sons, and the son and son-in-law of Shahbaz Sharif are absconding. Maryam was also convicted and then released from jail by virtue of a suspended sentence so that she could look after her ailing father, who has since decamped to London and refuses to come back. It is because of a combination of these factors that they don’t have an option other than pushing the matter to the extreme. In doing so, they have targeted state institutions – most notably the military, holding it responsible for having facilitated Khan to the seat of power.
The weakening of the JUI-F and the refusal of the PPP to quit the assemblies has further limited the options for the PML-N. Will they continue in their present belligerent mould, or will they be forced to take a step back and re-evaluate their options under the drastically changed circumstances? If they were to take the former route, would they be able to go the distance with the support of a weakened JUI-F and a PPP insisting on playing the game its own way, or will this be reduced to a solo flight for Maryam?
Alternatively, after having suffered these setbacks, will the PML-N be more inclined to initiating a dialogue with the government? It appears highly unlikely simply because there is nothing substantive that the PML-N has on its wish list except getting an NRO for its leaders. There is no way Prime Minister Khan would yield on that. It is for this reason alone that he has suffered their abuse. Now that the PDM is coming apart, there is no reason for him to show any inclination for a dialogue if reprieve from accountability remains a part of the discussion package.
The internal divisions within the constituent parties of the PDM and the excessively divisive and provocative narrative that has been repeatedly voiced from its platform have rendered the PDM excessively controversial even among its own electorate. It is all but evident that it will soon be buried under the growing weight of its own contradictions and its incessant attempts to win a reprieve from accountability. Some finales are ordained beyond redemption.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/767262-beyond-redemption
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan