Political crisis: Let’s hope for legal courage & political sense to prevail

Ishtiaq Ahmed

A sobering thought for the nation of 220 million and counting

Pakistan came to be an independent state on 14th August 1947. Since this auspicious date, 19 prime ministers have come and gone hurriedly.

It is a sobering thought that to date no prime minister has been allowed to complete his or her full term of five years. The fate of the present incumbent is also in jeopardy.

Of those before him, two have been shot and one has been hanged. If we also throw into this mix, the assassinations of other senior politicians over the years, the list makes a harrowing read. 

Against this background, the PM’s fears of a plot to assassinate him are not too far-fetched.

Others came and went, readily falling victims to an unforgiving toxic political culture that has come to lack any sense of political propriety. This is in a country that unashamedly and unrepentantly continues to claim a high moral ground on the pretext of being the only country, in the 20th century, to be founded on the Islamic belief.

The current political crisis is part of an unsavoury continuum. Let us not be overly surprised by it. What would have been a welcomed surprise, if the present incumbent had been allowed to complete his full five-year term, but then that would be asking too much?

The move by the opposition alliance to oust the Premier was foiled on Sunday (3rd April) when the motion of no-confidence was blocked by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

Subsequently, Pakistan’s People’s Party (PPP), without losing a moment, petitioned the Supreme Court maintaining that the move by the deputy speaker was unconstitutional.

Therefore, at the present, the fate of embattled Imran Khan rests in the hands of Pakistan’s Supreme Court judges.

A close friend and a senior lawyer of some international eminence only yesterday remarked that by and large, the senior judges in Pakistan lack the moral courage to make difficult decisions in a climate laden with political sensitivities.

This may explain the delay in adjudication on the matter thus far. Let’s hope my friend is wrong, at least this time around.

Personally, I do understand the time being taken by the most senior judges on what is a sensitive matter that, either way, would have massive consequences ahead for the country.

The Supreme Court bench has already stated that it would only deliberate on the constitutional legality of the deputy speaker’s decision to block the motion of no- confidence.  The alleged matter of foreign conspiracy in cahoot with certain opposition elements will not be entertained.

The court was initially expected to decide by the end of Monday, but no such ruling or direction has come thus far. Let’s hope that we have a ruling of some description soon.

Whatever happens to the tenure of Imran Khan, the elections are unavoidable. Although, a politically cynic friend has readily pointed out to me that the opposition has no interest in going for the elections immediately.

They want Imran Khan’s government to be ousted, then for them to join the interim government, delay the election timetable, whitewash current investigations and cases against them, dig out as much dirt as possible against Imran Khan and his team to discredit him and then go for the elections.

Is this too far-fetched as a plausible scenario? I think not! Let us hope that legal courage and political sense prevail in the  land of ‘ faithfuls ‘.