Daily Times

Pakistan is in political chaos for the last couple of weeks. A circus is being played between the government and the opposition ahead of the vote on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister. The government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is accusing the opposition of horse-trading. Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is on record that a huge amount of money is being used by the opposition to buy the loyalties of MNAs hailing from the ruling party. On the other hand, the opposition is claiming that PM Khan has lost his majority in the National Assembly and therefore he should resign from his office immediately.

The political temperature is on the rise in the country these days and the worst mudslinging is in practice between the government and opposition. Just a few days ago, the Islamabad Police raided the parliament lodges, the place where the MNAs reside during their stay in the federal capital. Some very unpleasant scenes were witnessed between the legislators and the Islamabad Police at the parliament lodges. Both the MNAs and the officials of the state were in direct confrontation and no one was ready to budge from their stance. Then the visuals were seen that a large number of MNAs hailing from the ruling party were staying at Islamabad’s Sindh House which is in the use of the PPP government. According to the MNAs, over two dozen of their colleagues were residing in Sindh House because they feared that the federal government of PTI may abduct them ahead of the voting on a no-trust motion against PM. They were all disgruntled MNAs of PTI who had shown severe reservations over the performance of Imran Khan to run the affairs of the government. The Prime Minister said that the PPP is buying the loyalties of his MNAs and there is a huge sum of money at Sindh House these days for horse-trading. Then, everyone saw unpleasant scenes outside the Sindh House when the PTI workers reached there to protest against those disgruntled MNAs who were staying there. It was really sad that a large number of PTI workers, including its two MNAs, forcefully entered the Sindh House in a direct confrontation with the police of another province that was guarding the building. It was an attack on the building that represents the state.

Pakistan cannot afford such instability keeping in view our already fragile economy and the rapidly changing regional dynamics.

The polarization has reached the extent that filthy language is being used on live TV screens by both the government and the opposition. Both the players are claiming that they will call their workers at Islamabad’s D-Chowk in large numbers on the day of voting on a no-trust motion against the PM. The government is saying that there will be a crowd of one million PTI workers in Islamabad, and they will not allow the disgruntled MNAs to reach the National Assembly to cast their votes. Similarly, the opposition is saying that they will also call their workers for the security of those MNAs to ensure their smooth passage to the National Assembly. It is a very childish approach from both sides, keeping in view the sensitivity of D-Chowk and the red zone.

A severe threat is looming in Islamabad ahead of voting on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. The heads of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) are visiting the federal capital, and Pakistan Day is also to be celebrated on March 23. Therefore, sanity should prevail, and someone should intervene to avoid any untoward incident in Islamabad.

It is fast becoming the talk of the town that the Pakistan Army should play its role in this chaos and confrontation. Pakistan cannot afford such instability keeping in view our already fragile economy and the rapidly changing regional dynamics. There was a similar game of musical chairs between the politicians right after the creation of Pakistan to reach the power corridors at any cost. The situation got better when General Ayub Khan took the reins of the country, and Pakistan was on the path of development. We witnessed several long-term projects initiated by Ayub Khan, including dams and road infrastructure, which gave a boost to the economy. The politicians were once again fighting in the 70s, and there was massive agitation on the roads. There was political chaos at that time too, and the Pakistan Army had to intervene to resolve the crisis. General Zia gave maximum relief to the masses through his pro-people policies. Again in the 90s, the game of musical chair between the politicians was also at its peak that ended when Gen Parvez Musharaf intervened in 1999. He gave a real boost to the economy of Pakistan and the country was once again on the path of development.

Now, once again, our politicians are polluting the environment while completely ignoring the issues of the common man. There is rampant inflation and unemployment in the country, but a circus is being played in Islamabad. The dynamics of the region are rapidly changing. The regime has just changed in Afghanistan, which shares a long border with us. Some new games are being played in the Middle East that will directly affect us. Therefore, it is the need of the hour that the policymakers of Pakistan act according to the national interests. It is the talk of the town that sanity should prevail, and Pakistan Army should take the lead role to end this crisis.

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