Pakistan faces its biggest political catastrophe in well over a decade. Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri started their marches with high-flying talk of democracy and freedom. They are looking to end it with bloodshed. The decision to storm the PM House does not count as legitimate protest. Imran has constantly evoked the ideals of democratic protest in the west but anyone who tried to break into the White House or 10 Downing Street armed with sticks and forklifts would be detained immediately or shot at if resisting arrest. So far three people have been killed as Islamabad descended into anarchy. The scenes that we saw as the marchers clashed with police were horrible. Women carrying infants and fleeing the clouds of teargas or evading batons is a sight we would never wish to see. The chief responsibility for that lies with Imran and Qadri who, safely hiding in their containers, charged up their supporters with openly violent rhetoric and hypocritical talk of peace, and sent them to the frontlines. With Imran stating there would be further action, for which his ‘tigers’ are well prepared, things seem rather ominous. His lack of responsibility is shocking. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding a corps commander meeting yesterday. The statement released by the ISPR may temporarily soothe frayed nerves. It reaffirmed the army’s commitment to democracy – stressing a political approach to the crisis and warning against the harm that violence may bring. Earlier in the day, PM Sharif too had expressed a similar approach with his directions to protect state buildings without loss of lives and calling for more talks with the PTI and PAT. The army also says it is tasked with protecting sensitive buildings in the capital. The imposition of Article 245 by the government does increase the army’s authority. How that authority may be used since both Imran and Qadri are still baying for blood is unclear.
Imran’s sudden decision to take the protest to the PM House shows him to be a rash, unstable figure not cut out for democratic politics. The only question that remains is if he is acting on his own. Disgruntled PTI president Javed Hashmi, who has now been expelled from the party for speaking his conscience and spilling a few beans, says the party had decided not to move from D-Chowk but Imran unilaterally overruled everyone after he found himself ‘compelled’ on receiving a message from somewhere. This happened at a time when it was clear that negotiations with the government could lead to a breakthrough and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that a deal had almost been reached. Many now are wondering more openly if Imran and Qadri are the sole screenwriters of this drama or if there other unaccredited authors. The Javed Hashmi episode further exposes the true state of democracy within the PTI itself. That Imran has chosen to be influenced by the whispers of Sheikh Rasheed over the words of Javed Hashmi says a lot about the direction his politics has taken.
That a motley crew flanked by a few thousand supporters may throw us back by decades says a lot about how fragile the state of our civilian affairs is. The political forces have failed badly in preventing the disarray that has broken out with democracy teetering once more on the brink. The government has been mostly missing in action. Let alone being pro-active. The PML-N has not even been able to react effectively to unfolding events, giving the impression of a deer frozen in the headlights. The other political parties have mostly been opportunistically waiting to see how events play out and what may be in it for them. They, too, should be blamed for bringing us to a situation where the fate of the democratic system hangs in the balance. Figures like Aitzaz Ahsan and Asma Jahangir in their comments have shown the rare but much needed clarity that, if pursued uncompromisingly by our body politic, can make Qadri and Imran see the unreason in their ambitions instead of thriving on the present lack of a united and unambiguous front. If for nothing else but the sake of its own survival, the PML-N has to take the nation into confidence, truthfully explain what is going on and reveal what it will do next. After weeks of silence and half-truths from every side we now need to demand more from our political class.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Pakistan Protests: Naked ambitions
Pakistan faces its biggest political catastrophe in well over a decade. Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri started their marches with high-flying talk of democracy and freedom. They are looking to end it with bloodshed. The decision to storm the PM House does not count as legitimate protest. Imran has constantly evoked the ideals of democratic protest in the west but anyone who tried to break into the White House or 10 Downing Street armed with sticks and forklifts would be detained immediately or shot at if resisting arrest. So far three people have been killed as Islamabad descended into anarchy. The scenes that we saw as the marchers clashed with police were horrible. Women carrying infants and fleeing the clouds of teargas or evading batons is a sight we would never wish to see. The chief responsibility for that lies with Imran and Qadri who, safely hiding in their containers, charged up their supporters with openly violent rhetoric and hypocritical talk of peace, and sent them to the frontlines. With Imran stating there would be further action, for which his ‘tigers’ are well prepared, things seem rather ominous. His lack of responsibility is shocking. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding a corps commander meeting yesterday. The statement released by the ISPR may temporarily soothe frayed nerves. It reaffirmed the army’s commitment to democracy – stressing a political approach to the crisis and warning against the harm that violence may bring. Earlier in the day, PM Sharif too had expressed a similar approach with his directions to protect state buildings without loss of lives and calling for more talks with the PTI and PAT. The army also says it is tasked with protecting sensitive buildings in the capital. The imposition of Article 245 by the government does increase the army’s authority. How that authority may be used since both Imran and Qadri are still baying for blood is unclear.
Imran’s sudden decision to take the protest to the PM House shows him to be a rash, unstable figure not cut out for democratic politics. The only question that remains is if he is acting on his own. Disgruntled PTI president Javed Hashmi, who has now been expelled from the party for speaking his conscience and spilling a few beans, says the party had decided not to move from D-Chowk but Imran unilaterally overruled everyone after he found himself ‘compelled’ on receiving a message from somewhere. This happened at a time when it was clear that negotiations with the government could lead to a breakthrough and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that a deal had almost been reached. Many now are wondering more openly if Imran and Qadri are the sole screenwriters of this drama or if there other unaccredited authors. The Javed Hashmi episode further exposes the true state of democracy within the PTI itself. That Imran has chosen to be influenced by the whispers of Sheikh Rasheed over the words of Javed Hashmi says a lot about the direction his politics has taken.
That a motley crew flanked by a few thousand supporters may throw us back by decades says a lot about how fragile the state of our civilian affairs is. The political forces have failed badly in preventing the disarray that has broken out with democracy teetering once more on the brink. The government has been mostly missing in action. Let alone being pro-active. The PML-N has not even been able to react effectively to unfolding events, giving the impression of a deer frozen in the headlights. The other political parties have mostly been opportunistically waiting to see how events play out and what may be in it for them. They, too, should be blamed for bringing us to a situation where the fate of the democratic system hangs in the balance. Figures like Aitzaz Ahsan and Asma Jahangir in their comments have shown the rare but much needed clarity that, if pursued uncompromisingly by our body politic, can make Qadri and Imran see the unreason in their ambitions instead of thriving on the present lack of a united and unambiguous front. If for nothing else but the sake of its own survival, the PML-N has to take the nation into confidence, truthfully explain what is going on and reveal what it will do next. After weeks of silence and half-truths from every side we now need to demand more from our political class.
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