Daily Times

Despite loud claims and promises by the Prime Minister Imran Khan that next year round would be a turning point for the good of the country– it is too good to be true since despite his utopian claims, the country has been moving on from one crisis to another-one deeper than the previous, making situation appear grimmer than the last one we survived. While the Prime Minister insists on making tall claims, the recent diplomatic fiasco between Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan on Islamabad’s most shameful reluctance not to attend the KL Islamic summit since Saudi Arabia was averse to it, has given an extremely severe blow to the whole idea of grooming an effective Ummah.

As the nation roller coasters through perpetual bad weather, symbol of its strength -the Parliament supposed to be the reservoir of all power and strength is unheard of. While not undermining weaknesses of the PM and his flagging government bitterly divided within, their most unpardonable crime is that by their utter disregard to the precedence set by former President Zardari and his government for strengthening democracy brick by brick over its tenure of five years, succeeding government and followed by the selected one have dealt blow after blow to make Parliament infructuous.

There could not be a better censure of the ‘selected arrangement’ than the current one for their contempt of the Parliament and the low priority it is extended by them as often seen in the protest of Senate members. It is regretfully noted that despite repeated warnings and protestations, it did not shake up the PTI leadership from Its contemptuous inertia-to wake up and take measures to make parliamentary business a real meaningful business.

Pakistan’s foreign policy has become a joke, dictated by one country or the other-with contempt to the fact that Pakistan being a nuclear power and sixth largest army in the world-seems to be a country without crutches

One would not disagree that contempt shown to the parliament seems to be a manifestation of a suicidal mindset that despite the fact that it was Parliament that has previously stood like a rock to thwart the attempt of the dharnas that almost dislodged PML_N. It was Parliament that stood against various intrigues and machinations that defied strong temptation by the covert and covert forces along with the extra constitutional forces and their Trojan horses to take advantage of it-in third bid to pack up democracy. One is reminded of the fact that it was the unprecedented unity shown by the Parliament backing parliament to the hilt that PML-N government survived although the umpire was ready to raise his finger to oblige those selected to replace PMLN-government by the powerful Establishment.

It was extremely regretful that the PMLN-leadership could not read the writing on the wall and it fell in the trap of the Establishment that offered it a JIT as an escape to its salvation. Unfortunately contempt shown to the Parliament by PML-N leaders, Prime minister’s disrespect to the Parliament further manifested by his ministers, their pathological abhorrence to attend its proceedings and failure to bring about legislations–was like re-arranging the deck chairs when Titanic was about to sink. It strengthened PTI and Imran Khan along with their powers that be supporting them.

It is acknowledged by independent observers that no doubt PPPP government did not perform well on account of various factors including conspiracies, beyond its control including highest ever oil prices, parallel government through so-called judicial activism of a paranoid Chief Justice-CJP Justice Ifthikar Choudhry– who wanted to be the king backed by MNS, PML-N and PTI, credit, however, must be given to PPPP for its record of legislations including landmark 18th Amendment that has caught the bull of power as vested I Establishment by the horn. Not only that its prime ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf and their ministers upheld high the importance and sanctity of the Parliament by an admirable attendance record and legislative work.

It is dismal to note that our rulers-selected as well as those wielding the stick-their devil may take care attitude is harming matters of national importance and issues of vital strategic interests. Pakistan’s foreign policy has become a joke, dictated by one country or the other-with contempt to the fact that Pakistan being a nuclear power and sixth largest army in the world-seems to be a country without crutches. No doubt we have a foreign minister and a foreign office looking after our external interests without much ado.

How serious it is to conduct a pragmatic foreign policy is reflected in the fact that we allowed four years lapse to be without a foreign Minister. Most of the time we are employing back door channels as pliable way forward in certain circumstances but they are complimentary to formal conduct of foreign policy. On other hand, India has an aggressive foreign policy. It caught pants down our Foreign Minister when it disposed off Article 370A. Its introduction of regressive CAB legislation is proving to be too disruptive and an implosion cannot be ruled out if the situation is allowed to be built up.

The writer is former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK and a veteran journalist