Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s decision of postponing the November 2 ‘lockdown’ of Islamabad following the the Supreme Court’s decision has been received with mixed feelings from both within PTI as well as other political parties. While most of the opposition leaders have expressed their opinions on the decision in a mature manner, some of them resorted to plain point-scoring. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has termed Imran Khan’s decision as backdoor deal with government, while the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI leaders have been terming the development as a victory for their respective parties.
The call for lockdown was absurd in the first place, and Imran Khan needs to move on from his rhetoric as the recent decision has left many party workers fuming. Most of the workers who belong to the working lower and middle class had come from across the country amid all the hurdles placed by government. Khan should realise that such actions would only hurt the feelings of his supporters. Same happened in the past as well where the workers were asked to return to their homes without achieving what the protests were ostensibly aimed for at the first place.
On the other hand, the reaction of government to PTI’s call for a lockdown of the capital was excessive. The way roads throughout the country leading to the capital were blocked and police unleashed brutality on protestors, it could have easily turned into a situation of chaos. Despite political point-scoring from both government as well as the PTI members on the postponing of the protests, Pakistan has been saved from a major political chaos that could have resulted in not only bloodshed but economic losses worth billions of rupees that no one seems to be concerned about.
Panama leaks is not a minor issue. Throughout the world, individuals and organisations whose names had appeared on the list were asked to come clean on the issue. The prime minister of Iceland resigned, the prime minister of the United Kingdom gave a detailed explanation. The prime minister of Pakistan protested through his addresses on TV how unfair the accusations were. Although Pakistan’s democracy cannot be compared with the likes of the UK and Iceland, the fact that the family of Pakistan prime minister’s was named in the revelations, it is expected that he gives a plausible response to the issue and prove himself clean of any wrongdoings.
Maryam Nawaz among others had tweeted soon after the Supreme Court’s decision that the PML-N had offered the same solution months ago as well. Perhaps, she seems to have forgotten that the issue has been the consensus on terms of reference, which the government as well as the opposition parties were not able to agree upon.
Furthermore, the delaying tactics of the government had further given mileage to the protest-threat of Imran Khan. It is obvious that the PML-N cannot dictate the terms of the formation of the commission while being in the government, an aspect that fuelled the calls for prime minister’s resignation for a transparent investigation to take place.
Lastly, despite calls of vindication by political parties, the country has been saved from a major chaos. The Supreme Court’s decision and Khan’s call to ‘postpone’ the lockdown have resulted in a positive environment for both the government as well as the PTI. The estimated loss to economy in the case of a prolonged protest or a lockdown is something no one seems to have taken into consideration. Approximately, $3.5 billion dollars were wiped off the stock market in the previous week alone. Although a peaceful protest is the right of every political party as well as any individual, the protesters should know their limits so that they do not cross the boundaries where it results in indirect losses to the economy.
At a time when Pakistan’s economy has relatively stabilised and the government is making efforts to woo foreign investment in the country, such political chaos would further create a negative sentiment among the potential investors. Similarly, government should work to make affairs more transparent and to resolve issues like the Panama Leaks to their tangible ends. Delaying tactics and lack of transparency will only damage country’s chances of development. http://dailytimes.com.pk/editorial/03-Nov-16/lockdown-averted
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