Daily Times

The unresolved political rift between the ruling alliance PDM and PTI has gradually transformed into a constitutional crisis with obvious signs of a split in the Supreme Court.

Persistently boiling political situation with every passing day in post-vote of no confidence scenario has started shaking the pillars of the state. While the parliament and judiciary have eventually locked horns in an undesired manner, the questionable commitment of political leadership to democracy and the constitution stands exposed in an unprecedented manner. Both PMLN and PTI are playing the victim card by repeatedly complaining about their unjustified ouster from the government with all guns blazing on the judiciary and establishment. This tendency of diverting attention from serious follies with victimhood rhetoric and maligning the institutions in politicized conspiracies has become an art in the ongoing political circus. Interestingly, the system is being mocked blatantly in the name of the Constitution and democracy. Two major parties, PTI and PMLN, have their reasons to praise and demonise the state institutions with no iota of respect for the spirit of the constitution and universally acknowledged democratic norms. Though leadership from both camps have publically ridiculed the judiciary and establishment for alleged foul play, they remained meaningfully selective in naming and shaming the culprits. Both PML-N and PTI cunningly concealed their performance failures and political blunders with a barrage of accusations against institutions and opponents. With no regard for law of the land; political parties are behaving like cults and rejecting unfavourable decisions of the judiciary and election commission. It is undeniably obvious that political stakeholders are addicted to using the shoulders of the judiciary and establishment unconstitutionally to remain unaccountable for malicious wrongdoings. The fiery rhetoric of PTI, PMLN and PPP, if summarized, portrays these parties as a victim of that very system from which they manipulatively extract multiple benefits. According to political parties, the judiciary is biased and corrupt! Elections were rigged and engineered! Establishment dominates and dictates policies etc. In this sensation-stirred stereotypical narrative, we have yet to see any urge among political parties to admit their follies for much-needed introspection. No party is ready to dwell upon its failures in economic, diplomatic, security and governance domains.

Though leadership from both camps have publically ridiculed the judiciary and establishment for alleged foul play, they remained meaningfully selective in naming and shaming the culprits.

Former ruling party PTI could not digest its ouster from power corridors through a constitutional move and its self-righteous leader opted to fight the battle on roads instead of parliament. On the other side, despite dislodging the PTI regime successfully, the PDM government is still unable to deliver any good to the nation. Nightmares of economic deterioration, inflation and persistent currency devaluation have started consuming the political capital of PDM with PMLN on top of the affected parties list. This factor continues to play in favour of PTI which lost the government in the hands of PDM but remained successful in multiplying its public support with optimum exploitation of inflation-specific sufferings of the masses. The former PM’s rhetoric revolving around cypher conspiracy, an assassination plot, a blame game, bleak prophecies of economic default and a strategy of persistent agitation significantly contributed to perpetuating the political instability. Later, this political instability triggered economic chaos and continues to dent the fiscal structure of Pakistan till today. On the other hand, PDM being unable to improve the economy, now finds it difficult to justify the misadventure of the no-confidence motion. The inflation wave alone has swept away the political credibility of PMLN. The prolonged absence of Nawaz Sharif from the political arena and the lack of attractive narratives have added to the handicaps of PMLN. The level of insensitivity on part of political stakeholders can be gauged from the fact that PDM and PTI are not ready to discuss the election schedule at a critical juncture once the masses are suffering unmanageable inflation and the country is striving to avert the economic default. It is very much obvious that PDM opted for a no-confidence manoeuvre to wind up the pending cases which later proved true with hasty legislation related to NAB rules. PTI, during its tenure, miserably failed to deliver the promised outcomes. It unconstitutionally dragged the institutions into political affairs, failed in concluding the corruption cases, mishandled the IMF deal, misgoverned Punjab with an incompetent CM and couldn’t keep the coalition partners intact during the confidence motion. In the post-confidence scenario, PTI unwittingly enabled PDM to oppose free NAB-specific legislation by resigning from the National Assembly. Ill-timed resignation of CM Usman Buzdar triggered an unnecessary political crisis in Punjab which lingered on for more than three months until Supreme Court forced the warring parties to a settlement.

Political instability stemming from the confrontational strategy is the root cause of the current economic deterioration. PTI further fanned the political instability with the dissolution of KP and Punjab assemblies. While referring to favourable constitutional clauses for election within 90 days, none of the PTI stalwarts is deliberating upon the fact that how the dissolution of two provincial assemblies can be imposed as a binding for the dissolution of Balochistan, Sindh and National assemblies to seek countrywide elections. Moreover, the unprecedented split election option poses a constitutional crisis regarding the absence of a caretaker setup in KP and Punjab provinces during National assembly polls.

Political stakeholders are neither ready to accept the judiciary’s verdicts nor capable to iron out the differences through dialogue. Unfortunately, both PTI & PDM remained unsuccessful in uplifting the economy. Both stakeholders are playing a cut-throat power game by twisting the selective clauses of the Constitution. This vicious political circus in the name of the Constitution has all the ingredients of a larger catastrophe. Golden promises and demagoguery cannot repair the damages caused to the national economy by the manipulative confrontational politics of PTI and PDM. Let’s not fall prey to the charmers who are just playing old political circus in the name of the Constitution. The nation had enough of verbosity and sensational rhetoric. It is about time to demand a workable recovery plan as well as a guarantee for acceptance of future election results from major stakeholders.

(Writer is a freelance and can be reached at sikandarnoorani@yahoo.com)