Daily Times

Pakistan Muslim League-N President Shehbaz Sharif has sworn in as the 23rd Prime Minister on Monday night while President Dr Arif Alvi and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa missed the ceremony. Dr Alvi suddenly fell ill and went on medical leave. No news about the army chief while his absence is being termed as “meaningful”. The acting President of Pakistan, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani steered the oath. Earlier in the day, Panel of Chair Member Ayaz Sadiq conducted the election in the National Assembly after the Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri resigned from his seat. The PM candidate of the united opposition Shehbaz Sharif won 174 votes, while PTI candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi was at a duck.

The PTI members of the National Assembly boycotted the election under the direction of their chairman, former Prime Minister Imran Khan terming the recent campaign against him as “external interference”. His claim is based on a memo from the Pakistan Ambassador to the US that reflected the concerns of the US. Khan believed it was a threat to topple his government. He termed all the opposition leaders as traitors, playing in connivance with the “external elements” against a bribe of millions of dollars.

Instead of proving his claim, he has opted to give a call for countrywide street protests. Now, his supporters and voters are on the streets. They are thin in numbers but cause inconvenience to the commuters and residents. Previously, he developed a narrative that the leadership of the large political parties had plundered billions of rupees. Strangely, he could not prove it in the courts of law despite spending huge money, engaging a big team of advisors, social media campaigners, and mala fide accountability mechanisms. Now, he is out there with a new product, an “imported government of traitors by externally paid political interference”. A very dangerous campaign against all the political entities that have voted in the no-confidence motion against Khan.

PTI’s new political product has to gain wider acceptance if necessary measures are not taken to wipe off the “traitors” slogan.

On Monday, all the PTI MNAs announced their resignations from the National Assembly but did not dare to tender the written ones. They made the same mockery of the parliament in the previous PML-N government too. Shamelessly, they returned to the Assembly and claimed all the monetary benefits amounting to millions of rupees. Hypocrites. The same is expected yet again.

Having seen the big failure of the PTI government in about three and a half years on all the domestic and foreign fronts, a majority has been taken aback. Nevertheless, PTI’s new political product has to gain wider acceptance if necessary measures are not taken to wipe off the “traitors” slogan. The campaign is intentionally indulging the military establishment too in between the lines. More dangerous. On the other hand, many believe the analysis of some political pundits that claim that the entire drama is created by the military establishment to give PTI a chance to play the victim card to organically strengthen its vote bank. The overseas Pakistanis and their families living in Pakistan would play a backbone role in the general elections next year. Still depends on the build-up of their campaign.

The military establishment has to wipe off the stains, working in harmony with the incumbent government. It shall play a visible benchmark to repair the foreign policy dent, and the damage to their public repute. No harm in continuing with China and Russia too without shouting slogans. We shall learn from India playing safely on all sides. Only strategic steps together on the foreign policy, and some shut-up calls domestically shall play significantly for a peaceful political tolerance and harmony at home. It would lead to gradual socioeconomic stability if there was no political disorder again. Our present and future generations are desperately looking for it at any cost. Civil-military relations minus vested interest and political engineering can pave a path to what is desired the most at the moment. We shall let the political leadership groom and mature civil supremacy. It needs a transparent democratic system that would deliver a vibrant and balanced foreign policy and strategic diplomacy.

While we were fighting at home, many changes took place around us. Nato’s Article 5 is on the way against Russia with more sanctions. Israel has entered the Indian Ocean considering finalizing a free trade agreement with India, and Abraham accords with Arabs. India has been given the status of Net security provider in the Indo-Pacific by the US. It has taken up the Russian offer to buy their oil at a discounted rate without claiming India needed independent foreign policy. At the critically important Islamabad Security Dialogue, our army chief said we have deep-rooted relations with the US that shall continue. Right then the PM shouted about a threatening démarche from the US to change his government. He urged the nation to fight for independent foreign policy.

Vigorous and consistent consultation is a must to avoid chaos and to remain on the same page for the best interest of the nation.

The writer is a freelance journalist and broadcaster, and Director Devcom-Pakistan. He can be reached at devcom.pakistan@gmail.com and tweets @EmmayeSyed.