Who knows whether the current practice of ignoring senior judges of the Supreme Court while forming benches for important political and constitutional matters is an appropriate practice of CJ Bandial? Should Qazi Faez Issa have provided the money trail of his overseas assets being asked for by the Supreme Judicial Council? Should his wife have been dragged in the Supreme Court and should have been forced to face FBR? A question that had died down but has become alive once again on social media. These are some of the court room matters I have written above. Should SJC proceed against the judge whose audio leak is taking rounds on social media? Or those responsible for such taping and leaking should be proceeded against? The matters that are being discussed on social media have much wider scope. They pertain to judges’ mutual relationship and their and their families’ political affiliations as well. Here we are talking about the highest court of the country. Credibility of High Courts are also being tarnished by raising allegations of all kind.
Parliament is presently busy in clipping the wings of Supreme Court by curtailing powers of its CJ. Parliament is also busy in devising ways to postpone the elections in Punjab and KPK assemblies that had been dissolved by Governors of the two provinces on the advice of their Chief Ministers. Parliament is also busy in bashing the political parties that have left the Parliament. It is also debating the issue of responsibility of present state of affairs of the country. Outside the Parliament, its legitimacy is being discussed. What is not being discussed in the Parliament is the stalemate in which the country has been and its effect on the common man.
The Federal Cabinet is almost out of sight. The only minister who appears in the media and talks about his ministry is Finance Minister. He also does not have much to talk except for emphasizing that root cause of all this mayhem is previous government and that IMF will soon release the next tranche of the deal. To add to the already existing confusion in the matter, on the other day he said that we will have to learn to live without IMF. Remaining Federal Ministers are fighting the opposition on media and non-parliamentary opposition in the Parliament.
The President of Pakistan was first trying to play a mediator’s or facilitator’s role between Army Chief (I would not have dared to write these two words had the President himself have not said) and a political party. Then some job of oath taking of a Chief Minister was assigned to him by the Supreme Court as the Governor of the province was not expected to be administering that. President has been asking the Federal Government to adhere to the Constitution and for that he also wrote a strongly worded letter to the Prime Minister. Recently he is indulging in interviews to the national media to clarify his position in certain matters and express his point of view in certain others. His distractors consider him President of a particular political party rather than the President of Pakistan.
Prime Minister is doing his best to salvage his political capital along with procuring foreign aid sufficient to sustain his remaining tenure. He is doing his best to convince the people that country is in good hands; that he and his government are doing their best to save the country from default; and that they are not the ones responsible for this sorry state of affairs. He is also busy in finding a new Attorney General every now and then. He has recently taken to handing over flour bags to the poor, an activity mismanagement of which has claimed lives of dozens. Since the President chose to write a letter to him rather than meeting him in person (perhaps due to the ‘physical distance’ between the two offices), the Prime Minister chose to send a nastier and lengthier rejoinder to him.
Pakistan’s political parties are fighting a battle of life and death. Interior Minister has made it clear in so many words that PDM (or perhaps PML (N)) and PTI cannot co-exist. Political differences have now become a personal vendetta. There are daily speeches full of hatred and allegations. Previous government hounded its opponents and now present government is trying to smash its opponents. Former Prime Minister daily reveals a ‘yet another’ plan of his murder by ‘yet another’ party. They are not fighting for the supremacy of any ideology. The nature of feud is now absolutely personal and egotistic. A circus is going on in the country in the name of politics and innocent followers of the politicians are rendered into jokers of the circus and fodder of war. What is happening can hardly be called politics. Will there ever be a political stability or the culture of non-acceptance of election results and musical chairs of Prime Ministers will continue?
Election Commission of Pakistan has been subject of controversies. Those who appointed the Chief Election Commissioner started calling him names when his orders didn’t suit them. At that time the then opposition adopted him. Then came the dissolution of two provincial assemblies and with it the issue of holding of elections in these assemblies. Today we are discussing various questions at different forums: will elections in two assemblies be held within 90 days as ordained by the Constitution or in October 2023 as announced by the ECP? Will the Federal Government cooperate with the ECP in holding of elections? Will ECP and GOP comply with the order of the SCP regarding holding of elections of provincial assemblies? Will elections not be held even in October, an apprehension harbored even by the President?
What is the position of Establishment in all these matters? Have they really become apolitical? Former Army Chief has made revelations about the political management in the country through ISI and the courts. He has also made revelations about media management. A prominent lawyer has alleged in the national press that dacoity in his house in Islamabad a few years ago was orchestrated by the ISI and that it was to steal certain documents relating to Gen Pervaiz Musharraf. Is it now willing to follow the Constitution and determined to comply with the laws? Is Establishment really going to tighten its belt and be easy on the national budget? Does it have a plan to restrict its business ventures and let there be a fair competition in the country or it intends to further expand its footprint on the economy of the country in the form of corporate farming? Is there complete unity in the Establishment? This question is raised by many in the wake of claims of former Prime Minister that he is getting information of plans of his murder from the intelligence agencies.
Is media independent? Are there any professional journalists who do objective reporting and express considered opinions? Are all journalists on the payroll of one political party or another? Is media doing what it should be doing or media-people have their own axe to grind? Are the talk shows adding fuel to an already burning situation? Which channel supports whom? Does Establishment control the media at will? Should army chief be meeting media persons to discuss political situation of the country and politicians? There are too many questions and there are no answers. Confusion abounds all around.
War on terror is back. Everyday our soldiers and officers are being martyred. Will we be seeking a political or military solution of the problem? Will Afghanistan help us in this matter or they will side with TTP? In this altered situation, will we at least control the smuggling of food to Afghanistan that is causing food shortage here? Will we ever have a stable Baluchistan? Will we be able to control street crime in Karachi? Will we default? Will IMF give us next tranche that is overdue now? Will there be any respite in inflation? Again, too many questions without any answers.
These are too many questions without any satisfactory answers. We have dysfunctional institutions in Pakistan starting from the Presidency to Federal and Provincial Governments, Parliament, political parties, SCP, ECP, Establishment (both Civil and Military) and media. We have huge problems ranging from terrorism to law and order to political instability to economic poverty to illiteracy to exploding population., Gravity of situation has cowed many people to take solace in the narrative of political party of their choosing rather than doing an objective analysis of the situation and others to a state of despair and resignation. Lack of governance has made the life of ordinary citizens very difficult and for many even unbearable. In this grim situation if someone tells you that things will be alright without sharing any details of ‘how’, please be mindful that he is a swindler and is out to take away everything you have: money, dignity and hope.