Editorial

Democracy this is not

Situation remains highly charged with the capacity to collapse into disorder, chaos even, if it is not defused

Editorial October 29, 2016

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan addressing a press conference outside his residence in Islamabad on Friday, October 28, 2016. PHOTO: PTI

Democracy is a fading concept in the Pakistan of 2016, and both of the protagonists in the standoff in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are equally guilty in conniving at its retreat. The government in preventing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from holding its protests thus far is in defiance of a judiciary that has upheld the right to protest; and the PTI has a confused concept of democratic process if it thinks that democracy is best expressed by shutting down all the organs of governance in a national capital. The government side may be seen to have cast the first stone with the police assault on the youth wing of the PTI on the evening of Thursday 27^th October and the tear-gassing at Committee Chowk on the 28^th, but it will argue that it was sorely tried by the belligerence of the PTI supporters.

The PTI senior leadership is now corralled in the Bani Gala residence of Imran Khan, and to all intents and purposes under a form of house arrest. This in itself is a denial of democratic rights and it remains to be seen if Mr Khan will be detained if he tries to attend the court hearing on 1^st November regarding the Panama Papers as he has said he will. The PTI is now having to re-jig its strategy, and is urging its supporters to travel in groups to avoid arrest — thus telegraphing its intent to the authorities which will now be alert to such moves. The party seems to be trying to pre-empt the arrest of its members before the main event on 2^nd November, a strategy unlikely to be successful given the government’s apparent determination to confront rather than consult. The plea by Mr Khan to the police not to follow the government direction is also unlikely to be heeded.

The situation remains highly charged with the capacity to collapse into disorder, chaos even, if it is not defused. We once again appeal to the finer instincts of the leaders of both sides to put their differences on hold and create ‘safe space’ in which dialogue and compromise may be explored because conflict is going to solve nothing.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2016.

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COMMENTS (3)

Solomon2 | 8 years ago | Reply Shutting down a city to ensure democratic processes are upheld sounds like democracy to me. There are precedents. Consider the Philippines, where "people power" drove the autocratic Marcos from power, or Great Britain, where the Middlesex mob eventually won the write for the winner of repeated elections, John Wilkes, to take his seat in Parliament.

Toticalling | 8 years ago | Reply Agree fully with the sentiment. Democracy works only if both sides show flexibility. That is not happening. The last government survived because it listened to opposition. When NS started a march to reinstate Chief Justice, the government moved and did what opposition wanted. WE know now that the guy was not a neutral person, but the point is the matter was solved to opposition's demands.Imran Khan is not an easy nut to crack. What we want is the system to function, although it is far from perfect. The alternative is far worse.

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