Pakistan would suffer long-term consequences as a result of the ongoing struggle between the PTI and the existing leadership. This much is to be expected when all laws and regulations have been disregarded and politics is being governed by personal egos rather than the interests of society as a whole. The administration is now adamant about eliminating the largest political party in the nation on what are probably baseless charges, following a protracted campaign of intimidation and coercion that has produced nothing of significance.
But doing so will simply incite the PTI’s sizable support base and exacerbate the mistrust that already exists between it and the government. PTI leaders are addressing various politicians with their complaints in an effort to bring their party’s misery to a global audience. It appears that they are unaware that involving foreign interests in Pakistan’s internal political matters could damage their nation’s reputation and make it more difficult for them to take the lead in world affairs.
It is quite regrettable that things have reached this point, and blame should equally fall on both parties. The state’s campaign of arrests and kidnappings has already gone too far in using intimidation. Why it should now try to deny millions of Pakistanis their right to have the PTI represent them is incomprehensible. As evidenced by the continuous carnage in Gaza, the Zionist state maintains that it is above the law and has demonstrated time and again its ability to subjugate the international “rules-based order” while the world community looks on docilely. However, the ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is timely and provides vital background information on the Palestinian issue. The Palestinian people are fighting for their rightful rights and their land, which was taken from them twice in 1948 and 1967. This old land will never see peace unless these fundamental problems are resolved in a fair and equitable manner. The issue still stands: will Israel be forced to leave the occupied areas as the International Court of Justice has ordered by influential elements of the international community? This is unlikely to occur since realpolitik, not values, is what drives the global system. Consequently, the “free world” needs to oppose “bad” occupations, like Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. However, certain “good” occupations can be readily disregarded, like Israel’s annexation of Arab land. The issue is that Palestinian rage will continue to flare up, just as it did on October 7 of last year, if the international community continues to ignore the Israeli occupation. Therefore, the only way to end this protracted conflict is to establish a Palestinian state that is viable and free from Israel’s suffocating grip.
