There’s a fresh buzz around town about a long-term caretaker technocratic setup that may last a year or more. There have been rumours about this for a while, but with the PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry tweeting that building a long-term technocratic government by eliminating the government is a ridiculous idea, it appears political parties are now taking notice.
The PTI, which is considered to be closest to the idea of technocrats governing systems, will be particularly loud about such an arrangement, which it sees as impeding its demand for early elections. The technocrat fantasy is not new; there has been a rumble from above the power corridors that the political class just cannot handle, and a technocratic, apolitical setup would be the magic wand that cured everything.
The Bangladesh model of a protracted caretaker system, which later collapsed, fueled an even more fervent desire for a comparable situation here. But here’s the catch: this idea has no constitutional or political support, save from a provision for a caretaker government before elections, which cannot be in office for more than 90 days and must be replaced within that term under Article 224 of the constitution. This type of setup is unheard of, short of a full military takeover.
Worse, plans are being explored for an emergency declaration in order to extend the caretaker technocratic system. However, the constitution has different ideas: even Article 232, which deals with declaring an emergency due to war or internal disturbance, does not provide a reason for an unelected parliament to be in power even in an emergency. Legal experts believe that if such a system is implemented, it will amount to a constitutional violation.
Fortunately, there is one issue on which all political parties may agree. There were rumours earlier this year that the PDM and PTI had been proposed for such a setup for a longer period of time than specified in the constitution, but all political parties declined.
The rumours have returned. Those who believe that technocrats will take command and make difficult economic decisions without being accountable to Pakistanis will be disappointed. Such experiments have previously failed.
Tough economic decisions cannot be made in the absence of political agreement. Any such blunder would be disastrous for democracy, exacerbating political insecurity and chaos while undermining decades of institution- and nation-building in our country.
No democrat should allow the democratic system to be wrapped up in order to solve the economic crisis. Of course, there are many who fairly believe that a long-term technocratic structure fits the PML-N since they do not want to confront the PTI in the upcoming elections. However, this is illogical: any unelected system has the potential to devolve into a dictatorship.
Every political party should be concerned about this. There is just one reason a caretaker government exists and should exist: to hold free, fair, and legitimate elections. Anything more than that is unconstitutional. It is past time for politicians to make their own decisions. The will of the people should prevail.
