So much has been written and said about the twin sit-ins lead by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Maulana Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek(PAT), that it is almost impossible to bring a new perspective in the picture. Both in favor of and against them, from every angle and every possible outcome, whether it is the involvement of the establishment or the clear evidence of election rigging, the protests have been discussed, dissected and analyzed in the last few weeks. Each side had ample time both on the electronic media in its indefinitely long special transmissions and in the editorial pages of newspapers to explain their views and persuade the people of Pakistan. After listening to many of them, there have been few positive angles of the story that I want to touch upon today.
First, Pakistan People’s Party(PPP) has finally gained some of its credibility back that it had lost after its five years of poor governance in the Center and Sindh. Notwithstanding its not-so-stellar performance in the last tenure, during the last three or four weeks, it has emerged as the only national party which was mature enough under the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari to understand the nature of the crisis, to utilize constitutional forums to provide strength to the system, to reassure Mian Nawaz Sharif and his party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) about the legitimacy of their rule and to allow the parliament to reassert its vitality and buoyancy. Mian Nawaz Sharif who had ignored the parliament for one year and Mian Shahbaz Sharif who had paid no attention to it in the last six years, both must have realized that in the middle of a political crisis the only legitimate institution to ask for a lifeline is the Parliament. And, the pledge of alliance from the members of kitchen cabinet does not matter, nor does an underhand deal with the establishment, nor an unconditional support from international players; the only thing that matters - and should matter - is the approval from the people of Pakistan through their representatives in the House.
Second, we also found that even if there is a strong suspicion to believe regarding the role of unseen yet powerful forces in encouraging and/or sponsoring the sit-in in Islamabad, there has been a reluctance in the establishment to takeover by openly abrogating the constitution. No doubt, the more people you talk to within the institution the more you realize that they are extremely unhappy with the conduct of Mian Nawaz Sharif. Despite that, they are not ready to take charge and come forward to run the country. As reported by Reuters recently out of eleven commanders the majority did not want army to take more ‘active role’ in the current political crisis. This change, or as I say reluctance, is not because of their sudden confidence in the ability of the current leadership to deliver, but only because of the realization of the complexity of the situation in the country.
Talking to an active Colonel in the Army I also found out how concerned and aware the officers are of the response of the powerful media and how furious and independent they believe the Supreme Court of Pakistan would be in case of any extra-constitutional intervention. Their concern is the beginning of a new Pakistan, the fear of the rule of law that has been inculcated through an autonomous media and an active judiciary in the hearts of the officers that is going to serve the country well, I think, for a long time. Isn’t this fear of accountability exactly what we needed to teach our servicemen?
In my assessment, there have been two major reasons for this trepidation: judicial movement of 2007-09 and the treason trial of General Musharraf. For which, we must give credit to the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, his two-year struggle for the rule of law, and the current leadership of PML-N that has been able to endure a tremendous amount of pressure and humiliation (including the current crisis?),yet has not given in so far.
Third, whether you support the protestors or not, and whether you like the political rhetoric of Imran Khan or not, he has been able to bring the core issues regarding the lack of transparency in the electoral system and the reasons for the colossal failure of the governance model in Pakistan in the limelight. These issues which have always been thrown under the carpet because they could destabilize the system under an incompetent and possibly corrupt civilian administration, have now been discussed in great length on multiple forums. Who can disagree that the credit to bring this change goes to the former cricketer? It is because of his relentless campaign against the status quo that broad-based reforms are being discussed in almost every household. Although, the people who are on his either side also belong to the same class, yet their presence does not diminish the enthusiasm of his supporters to take anyone to task including the ones on Khan’s side if they tried to steer away the followers from the agenda.
I am not sure how it will end; but after the catastrophe in the form of floods, there is even more a reason that everyone announces the victory now: the government for its ability to survive a prolonged protest in the capital; the PTI for its commitment to put the reform agenda on the top of the list, PAT to be recognized as a major pressure group in the country and the establishment to have the patience to let the civilians resolve their issues; and everyone goes to help the people in need. Isn’t it the ultimate goal that we all have been working for?
