Daily Times

As the situation has become in the politics of Pakistan, there is a need for political restraint. Rival parties in politics have always had differences of opinion but they are not supposed to turn these differences into enmity. The narrow-mindedness and obstinacy of the political leaders are pushing Pakistan towards political hatred and intolerance, the harmful effects of which, if, not addressed now, would never let sanity prevail. If politics is turned into an arena for revenge, accusations and lawsuits, chaos spreads. There is no doubt that Imran Khan is currently the most popular political leader in Pakistan, but on the other hand, he wants to remove every obstacle in the way of his power by attacking one after the other so that somehow he becomes the prime minister again and gains ultimate power. The lust for power has endangered the country’s security, integrity and survival as politicians consider every obstacle in their way as their enemy. In an attempt to remove all his political rivals from his way, Imran Khan accuses the Ex-President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, of his assassination plan and sometimes, he considers the leadership of PML-N responsible for the Wazirabad attack and registers an FR against them. And despite all these accusations, when his political rivals invite him to come to the negotiation table, Imran Khan–in arrogance and self-righteousness–does not even accept this invitation and does not participate in the APC and then tries to drag the country’s establishment into politics. What will happen to the political future of the country if political leaders continue to shy away from accepting responsibility and disrespect each other? Imran Khan wants such power that no rival stands in his way. These leaders think of themselves as intellectuals and want to use all institutions for their own interests or to destroy others’ reputations.

The lust for power has endangered the country’s security, integrity and survival.

Imran Khan knows how to cash in on his popularity. He knows what tactic he has to try, whether it is a jail-filled movement or a civil disobedience campaign, and he uses these cards very well. But all should also keep in mind that there is a greater need for a people’s food movement than a jail-filled movement. Imran Khan does not tolerate the existence of his political rivals and wants his own Army chief, ISI chief, Election Commissioner and Caretaker setup of his own. At the same time, many of his followers want to remove Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif from the scene altogether. Imran Khan is a popular political leader so he should realise that his rival political parties also have their roots in the people and promoting enmity in politics or calling political rivals enemies of the country never helps matters.

Conducting elections is the job of the Election Commission and for this, it is bound to conduct elections in consultation with political institutions. This work does not come under the responsibility of the army. But it is sad to say that leaders of political parties are unnecessarily criticising the army in this matter. Progressive thinking postulates that the political parties should take over the leadership of Pakistan and come out of the past. Blaming the military doesn’t seem to stop because political leaders want to target the military or other institutions if they don’t get the results they want. How long will someone else bear the burden of political incompetence, failure and incompetence of the political leaders? Everyone must respect the decision of institutions to stay away from politics. In order to strengthen their own political camps, the tendency to weaken the state is a loss for all. If Pakistan continues to weaken, Bani Gala, Zaman Park, Jati Umra and Bilawal House will no longer exist.

Common people are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis and political tension, and those who are taking advantage of their popularity are happy to see clashes in institutions. Religions also teach mutual consultation so that the problems of society can be resolved peacefully. The political wisdom at this time is that all political leaders sit together and avoid the politics of anarchy. If the state is subjected to politics, nobody will be left with anything. In the current situation, this land cannot afford the politics of pure anarchy. Heads of three major political parties, (PPP’s Asif Zardari, PMLN’s Shehbaz Sharif and PTI Chief Imran Khan) should sit together and decide the date of the election together. The most important role in this matter is Imran Khan because he is the one who is against dialogue with other political parties. Imran Khan will have to sit down with other political parties while acting prudently. Stubbornness, ego and pride in popularity will destroy him, the country and his party because popularity never lasts forever. It is a lesson often taught by history. Leaders of all political parties should announce the date of the election with mutual understanding and accept the victory of whichever party wins with the majority and serve the people in their respective areas that the people are the source of power and the future of democracy lies in the commitment to the people by getting rid of political crutches.

The writer is an old Aitchisonian who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.