Daily Times

The PML-N government’s acquiescence in forming a judicial commission to probe the alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections has proved a face-saving compromise for the PTI. The development can be termed positive as the whole country is facing political uncertainty due to the agitation of the PTI. The PTI and the PML-N had reached an agreement on the formation of the commission in December last year but there was a stalemate over the terms of reference, which has been resolved now. The government has urged the PTI’s legislators to return to the Assemblies. However, the PTI is still cautious about the government’s intentions. On Sunday, the core committee of the PTI, chaired by its chief Imran Khan, deferred their return to the Assemblies until the issuance of a notification about the formation of the judicial commission. After accepting the PTI’s demand, the PML-N has started consultations with its allies. It has written a letter to the heads of other mainstream political parties in order to take them into confidence over the terms of reference of the proposed judicial commission. The PML-N has taken a courageous step by agreeing to the formation of the commission. If the commission establishes systematic and organised rigging, the National Assembly and all provincial legislatures will be dissolved, leading to the holding of fresh elections in the country. But the government seems confident that this will not happen. The reason for the government’s confidence is that the recent findings of the election tribunals in election-related cases could not prove any systematic rigging, rather anomalies were found that have been more or less part of every general elections.

Despite a considerable delay in the formation of the commission, two main political parties that seemed to be in an unending confrontation have started moving in the right direction now. The PTI must understand that the politics of agitation at this conjuncture is not in the interests of the masses, the country, and the party itself. Its decision to resign from the Assemblies has already deepened a rift within the party as resentment is growing among the PTI’s elected members who seem reluctant to stay away from the Assemblies for such a long time. They had resigned from the Assemblies in August last year. This long debilitating confrontation with the PML-N has proved fruitless. So far, the PTI’s elected representatives are unable to do anything for the welfare of those who sent them to the Assemblies. How can they resolve the people’s problems when they themselves are in political limbo? The political maturity shown by the PML-N must be reciprocated by the PTI. It should return to the Assemblies and play its positive role in parliament. *