Khan’s choice

Courtesy:-  Malik Muhammad Ashraf

While it is satisfying to note that the PTI rally at Islamabad on November 30 passed without any incident like August 31, when PTV headquarters and parliament were attacked by the workers of the PTI and PAT, it is equally worrying to see Imran Khan remaining as stubborn and determined as ever to continue with his confrontational style of politics. 

Relishing the usual diatribe against the Sharifs and contradictory claims about election rigging, he threatened the government to immediately order a probe into the or face ‘Plan C’ which is designed to block major cities like Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi. He repeated his demand for a judicial commission providing for investigations by a joint investigating team comprising members of all intelligence agencies and the FIA. He also showed his willingness to start dialogue with the government provided the government acceded to his demands and picked up the thread from the already agreed points.

The sordid aspect of the political stalemate is that the demands made by Imran Khan cannot be implemented due to legal and constitutional constraints. First, the issue of rigging pertains to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the election tribunals and not the government. Imran Khan is targeting the wrong party here. Dealing with complaints regarding rigging, as provided in the constitution, is the sole responsibility of the election tribunals and the government simply cannot order any probe into this matter. The SC in its decision on a petition asking for declaring the 2013 elections null and void has already stressed this point. 

As regards the formation of the judicial commission it is again the prerogative of the SC to establish it keeping in view the constitutional provisions with regard to the issue at hand. The government has already requested the SC by accepting the demand of the PTI. Some legal experts believe that the SC may not agree to the formation of the commission because the constitution already provides for redress of complaints regarding irregularities and rigging of elections through tribunals and entrusting this responsibility to any other institution would probably require an amendment in the constitution.

Now coming to the terms of reference proposed by Imran Khan, it is pertinent to mention that they can only be prescribed about what needs to be probed or investigated and not the methodology and mechanics of the investigations. If the SC at all agrees to form the judicial commission, it will then be the responsibility of the commission to decide how to go about the task assigned to it and which agencies of the government are required to assist it. That cannot be dictated to the commission or predetermined by the government.

As far as dialogue between the PTI and the government is concerned, everyone who is desirous of seeing democracy taking root in this country would love to have this issue resolved peacefully through negotiations between all the stakeholders. The success of dialogue depends on the flexibility the disputing parties are willing to show and their readiness to act in the spirit of give and take. The PTI unfortunately wants to negotiate on its own terms and is not prepared, at least at the moment, to appreciate the legal constraints in the way of the government to accede to its demands and go about the task of reforms in the electoral system in accordance with the wishes of the PTI. 

The government has already agreed to the PTI’s demands for a probe into the rigging allegations by a judicial commission and also formed a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms which has already held a number of meetings. The ball now is in the court of the SC regarding the formation of the judicial commission. 

The reforms that the PTI wants in the electoral system and other areas of governance cannot be achieved through street agitation. These issues will have to be settled in parliament. If Imran Khan is really interested in reforms in the electoral and governance systems he should come back to parliament and play his due role in the process of reforms. The government and all other political parties agree on reforming the system. 

By choosing to promote confrontation and adding an element of violence to Pakistani politics, Imran Khan is treading a very dangerous course which might push the country into unending political turmoil and instability which it can ill-afford at this critical juncture. His proposed Plan C, which he plans to follow up with a Plan D are perfect recipes for disaster.

Imran undoubtedly is a popular political leader in his own right and a welcome addition to the political landscape of the country and it is really regrettable to see him acting in such complete disregard to the constitutional and the democratic norms. What he needs to understand is that the issues of corruption and other maladies afflicting the system are not the creation of the present government. They have precipitated and accumulated over the last six decades. Yes the system needs a change; corruption has to be curbed and people given their due rights. That, however, can be accomplished through an evolutionary process earnestly participated by all the political forces.

The country never needed more unity among the political forces than it does right now to fight challenges like terrorism, revival of the economy and thwarting the conspiracies of enemies of the country. To be fair to the PML-N government it has already initiated a decisive action against the terrorists through Operation Zarb-e-Azb and our armed forces have achieved tremendous success in uprooting the terrorists from their abodes. It has also been able to put the economy on the course of revival; this has been duly endorsed and corroborated by international lending agencies like the IMF and the World Bank. 

The government is tackling the energy crisis with unprecedented enthusiasm and commitment. The agreement with China on installation of power production units and the Pak-China Economic Corridor are irrefutable evidence of this undertaking. The government is also focusing on improving means of communication like roads which play a decisive role in nudging economic growth. Projects like the Havelian-Burhan Motorway inaugurated on November 29 by the prime minister are beyond any reproach as to their economic benefits. However for all that to materialise, the country needs peace and stability.

Imran Khan needs to be wary of political parasites like Sheikh Rasheed, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and others surrounding him who have always thrived by supporting non-democratic forces and who are now hell bent on inciting him to adopt a confrontational course against the government. People detest violence and bloodshed in politics and the majority is of the view that such antics might earn Imran the epithet of the ‘Gullu Khan’ of politics.