The coalition administration has plainly concluded that relinquishing space at this time would signal even more misery because there isn’t much to do legally, at least for the time being. In light of this, the National Assembly’s resolution rejecting the three-member Supreme Court (SC) bench’s “minority” decision regarding the Punjab elections is likely what the lawmakers were thinking. The resolution also “binds” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet to not carry out the Supreme Court’s ruling. This resolution has no legal consequences at all, according to practically all legal standards.
However, it does have political overtones that the administration is going for—if you will—a show of togetherness. PM Shehbaz has called a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today to discuss the current situation. According to PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the government is attempting to create schisms between the armed forces and the PTI, and if today’s NSC meeting delays elections under the guise of security, it “pits the armed forces directly against not just the judiciary but also the nation.” On the other hand, the PTI has additionally promised to speak with the government on election dates.
The PTI appears to be listening to rumours that elections would not be held despite court orders if the government did not release finances and the military refused to provide security for elections. Elections will be held across the country in October, according to rumours and what the PDM has been proclaiming rather loudly. However, other political watchers believe that nothing can be ruled out and that if these issues are not settled amicably and quickly, the government may be forced to declare an emergency, a lengthier caretaker regime, or even direct martial law.
According to observers, the cause is not only political hostility between the government and the opposition but also between the PTI and important institutional institutions. The now-widespread cracks in the superior judiciary have also resulted in a crisis with no ultimate arbitration because all stakeholders have lost their credibility in one way or another, and the typical guarantors do not trust the other side. For some, this may be a first in Pakistan: two of the country’s most powerful institutions appear to be on opposing sides.
The ultimate loss in all of this is that of a country that has already been through tragedy after tragedy in recent years, culminating now in a tumultuous economic condition and an even more chaotic cultural breakdown. Elections, under normal circumstances, would have resulted in financial and political stability, but in these times of systematic breakdown of all institutions, even elections will not result in any meaningful resolution of concerns. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: it’s time for all stakeholders to sit down and create a new social contract.
Every new political development hastens the descent into chaos. If the government wants to establish serious plans for the future of politics, the PTI needs to figure out who it’s up against once and for all: the continual U-turns must be retired now. Most crucially, if both sides of the political squabble must settle their differences, so must the institutions. It is now time for everyone to act like adults.
