You cannot have its cake and eat it too. Infuriated by the dilemma surrounding the urgency to repair its international standing and the urge to leave no stone unturned in advancing political agendas, those at the helm of our affairs love to dabble in unnecessary controversies.
On Friday, a session held to welcome a state guest from Saudi Arabia and pay tribute to Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem witnessed sheer chaos as a scathing attack on the judiciary for allegedly siding with the opposition PTI by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari caused widespread outrage.
The judiciary has been heavily influenced by politics, often navigating its way into the spotlight, and therefore, it seems inevitable that a fierce confrontation between the judiciary and the state will occur sooner rather than later. No qualms about that. Whether it’s a result of unchecked judicial activism or the executive’s continued reliance on reactionary measures, there are numerous factors contributing to the chaos, particularly on the issue of reserved seats. Even a cursory glance at the tea leaves suggests that the PTI would stand to benefit the most from this confrontation, which claims to not sit still until it can gain access to its “mandate.”
What the party intends to do with this will of the masses after months of dilly-dallying and little to no participation towards resolving critical issues is another debilitating tale altogether. The former foreign minister (and the entire parliament, for that matter) could still have benefitted from reading the room before airing their reservations.
No matter what the ruling elite believes about the show must go on, these veteran politicians have had more than their fair share of experience to understand how sometimes, it is far more important to send out a message of unity than to air one’s dirty laundry. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’s fiery declaration reaffirming the superiority of judicial decisions in light of a demand by PTI’s Omar Ayub for the immediate issuance of his appointment notification is likely to set off another crisis. However, scathing attacks on this bonhomie could wait for another session, which was not being attended by a representative of a key ally or held to celebrate an out-of-nowhere feel-good remaking of history in sports. Pakistan must learn from its missteps in the diplomatic arena before it can seriously consider how it can gain from the rapidly changing geopolitical arena. We mustn’t allow internal power struggles to dictate our global relationships, especially with politics consuming much of our attention in recent years. *