The National Assembly, along with the four province assemblies, have now taken the oath of office.
As they supervise the next phase of this nation’s governance, these assemblies will represent the people, despite the cloud cast by accusations of election rigging and other irregularities and illegalities. There’s no sugarcoating the enormities of the challenges they face, the truths of which will become apparent when the post-election chaos settles.The nation is in a state of social and political disarray, its institutions are in disarray, its finances are all but empty, and its economy is in complete collapse. Its administrative machinery seems to be broken, the compact between its people and the state appears to be broken, and its judiciary has never seemed more powerless than it does now.
Pakistan, which depends on foreign lenders for capital infusions and liquidity, is in the unfortunate position of being only a few mistakes away from total disaster.
But if the nation has shown anything repeatedly, it is that the perseverance of its people is unbreakable. The people who have been sworn in over the past week will continue to be expected by the populace to guide the nation toward stability and, ideally, prosperity. Now that they are seated in their respective assemblies, they have to show that they are prepared for the duties that have been assigned to them. Millions of people will be affected by the decisions they make in life.
Both the government and the opposition must decide that the public good will come first in all of their decisions, given the challenging circumstances. The government benches need to understand that the unprecedented hardships the country has experienced over the last two years have made the public mood extremely sensitive.It needs to start working right away to improve the economic situation. The opposition benches must acknowledge that they will have to assist the government in a constructive manner, particularly in pursuing shared objectives.
One cannot ignore the legitimacy issue. Those who believe their mandate has been taken away from them need to keep fighting. They have an obligation to seek redress for the wrongs done to Pakistan’s fragile democracy as well as to their fellow citizens.
All parties involved should, nevertheless, continue to concentrate on the future they envision for the Pakistani people. In order to accomplish their legislative goals and prevent the repeat of previous and current errors, legislators ought to make the most of their attendance in the assemblies. Political science has taught us a lot.It is now incumbent upon the political establishment to show that it is prepared to move forward. The most significant venue for political negotiations on what the future should hold for the millions of people who call Pakistan home is still the parliament. Let the politicians decide how to proceed.