By Sardar Khan Niazi
Our dear homeland at present confronts manifold challenges including a renewed upsurge in terrorism, price hikes, and economic depletion along with constant political disorder and differences between the parties that have not only kept the entire nation at odds but also deteriorated the financial crisis.
If our leaders keep on sowing seeds of hatred, and division among the masses and amplifying conflict among the federating units of the country, In fact, Pakistan needs no other enemy.
Pakistan’s political scene over the past year and the chain of latest events showing arrests of politicians from opposition parties revitalize the memoirs of Pakistani old-style politics.
The politics of agitation and clash took place after the overthrow of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. It was two-way traffic from the coalition government in the center and the two federating units ruled by the opposition.
Subsequently, the dissolution of the Punjab and KP assemblies intensified the inter-party tug of war — because of the severe opposition campaign for an early general election and the government’s struggles to delay the provincial polls as far as possible.
Now PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the opposition’s strong candidate for the top slot has announced a Jail Bharo Tahreek in the coming weeks while the government has vowed to deal with the opponents in the same coin.
Convincingly, Pakistan has fallen prey to the selfish policies and self-centered politics of its leaders. They fail to realize that the nation has faced multiple setbacks throughout history and each aspect of our national life witnessed division and degradation over the past seven and a half decades.
The legacy of using national issues and governance as a tool of politics has always weakened the national development and foreign policy interests of the nation. In the same way, squeezing space for criticism and civil liberties including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly has caused frustration and wider agitation in society.
The policy of ongoing arrest and prosecution of opposition leaders would further exacerbate the ongoing tussle between the warring political factions. Apparently, numerous laws can be used for the coercion of opponents but such actions ultimately reduce the scope for negotiation and national unity.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has of late put the name of booked former Finance Minister and PTI leader Shaukat Tarin down for a sedition case under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) after completing investigations into an alleged audio leak.
Last year, an audio tape was leaked in which a voice believed to be that of Tarin was advising the Finance Ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to frustrate the IMF deal by declining to generate additional funds, required by the country’s loan deal with the global lender.
Political disagreement appears to be mounting with the passage of time. The approach of the authorities concerned to book adversaries for their views is taking a toll.
During the last many years, there have been cases wherein politicians, journalists, lawyers, and men from different branches had to face maltreatment and trial for having opinions in direct conflict with the men at the helm of affairs.
This spectacle of putting the names of rivals down for sedition cases is sickening and is acting as harm to national unity. The act of framing cases at instincts and desires must end. The other side is that it not only weakens the writ of governance but also needlessly brings under question the neutrality of the judiciary.
These days Pakistan needs national unity, and political and economic stability, which is not attainable without a charter of democracy between all stakeholders. As early as our leaders will realize this fact, all political and economic problems would ease up accordingly.
