Crashing the political gears

Incapacity of political parties to agree to interim post-holders is emblematic of the chasms that split the landscape

Polarity is the name of the political game, and the incapacity of political parties large and small to agree a range of interim post-holders is emblematic of the chasms that split the landscape. In the end with a failure to agree caretaker chief ministers for Punjab and Balochistan the matter was referred to the Election Commission for Pakistan (ECP) as is the constitutional provision. Names had been proposed and opposed, mud was slung and fingers pointed, and nowhere more so than in Punjab. The province is seeing a political upheaval the likes of which it has not seen before, and particularly in respect of the ruling dynasty—the Sharif family, its many branches and scions. Their current difficulty is that they seem to have yet to grasp the fact that they are no longer in power politically, and will not be unless they are elected in the forthcoming polls.

With Nawaz Sharif booted into the long grass for the foreseeable future and his brother Shehbaz now without a formal role in provincial governance, the minor members of the family are being wheeled on as prospective leaders of the future. Assorted political rodents have sniffed the wind and dived overboard into the scuppers of other smaller ships alongside. Others may follow. The Opposition parties are hooting with mirth at all this and happily waved the flag for the most unlikely nominees the better to ruffle the Sharifian feathers — and all with some success as the clan stomps around the playpen whacking all and sundry with teddies and the soft furnishings.

All levity aside in this instance the ECP has stood its ground and discharged its responsibilities appropriately, and Dr Hasan Askari has been sworn in as interim caretaker chief minister of Punjab. A job that is going to have all the creature comforts of a bed of nails. One candidate had already withdrawn in the wake of a faux social media backlash, and Dr Askari now finds himself helming a very large ship indeed and that with a small crew to back him up. We wish him nothing but the best of luck.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.