Daily Times

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) had not yet recovered from the shock of the Judicial Commission’s report when two political parties that are its rivals have demanded the de-seating of 28 PTI legislators through a resolution submitted to the National Assembly (NA) on July 28. As per the rules of business, a member stands disqualified after wilful absence from the NA for more than 40 consecutive days. However, NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has deferred voting on the resolution for one week at the request of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who wants an out-of-parliament solution to this issue. The resolution was submitted by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat-e-Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaderships are trying to find an amicable closure to this issue instead of making it part of the agenda for a debate in parliament, which can cause further animosity among the mainstream political parties. PPP Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah has held separate meetings with the MQM and JUI-F leaders and asked them to support the government’s stance over the issue, while Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif has held a meeting with the heads of parliamentary parties and requested the MQM and JUI-F leaders to withdraw their resolutions against the PTI. The PML-N has adopted a sensible approach by resisting the politics of revenge. In his response, PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that his party wants to play a positive role in parliament but the House may de-seat the PTI MNAs if it deems it appropriate. The PML-N has called for forgetting the past and urged all political parties to move forward and focus on addressing the pressing challenges faced by the country. It seems that the past lessons have made the PML-N aware of the dangers associated with the politics of confrontation. This is the reason that the PM has restrained his ministers from using aggressive language against the PTI and the government has expedited its working on the electoral reforms in the light of the observations made by the Judicial Commission in its report. It has been revealed by the finance minister that the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms has completed 80 percent of its task and the rest would be completed soon.

The MQM and JUI-F’s demand regarding the ouster of the PTI MNAs is not without reason. Both parties find the PTI a major challenge to their mandate in their respective strongholds in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But the implementation of the resolution will open a new Pandora’s box. In case the PTI lawmakers are de-seated, a new chapter of politics of agitation and protests will start, which is neither in the interests of the government nor the country. Pakistan cannot afford such an agitation movement and political chaos. Earlier, the PTI dented the national economy and wasted everyone’s time by indulging in the politics of dharna (sit-in) and now some legislators want to waste more time and resources in this kind of futile pursuit. So far, the PML-N and PPP have shown maturity by not supporting the resolutions. On the other hand, the PTI is now asking for the resignation of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). After accepting the decision of the Judicial Commission, the PTI chief is now targeting the ECP. The PTI needs to reconcile with the PML-N and support the government in ensuring electoral reforms in a positive manner and not through the politics of agitation. The politics of leg pulling and protests have already caused a lot of damage and this should end now. The ultimate sufferers of such protests are the masses and the country as a whole. Instead of indulging opportunistically in the politics of revenge, all political parties should move forward and bury the recent past. They need to become a part of the reform process and should work to rid the country of negative politics and futile agitation movements. *