Withering rule of law

SC verdict exonerating Asia Bibi from blasphemy charges was the first litmus test

Prime Minister Imran Khan is to unveil his government’s performance in the first 100 days in office on November 29. He would certainly list achievements of his government in such a short span. What he would not list, though, is his administration’s missteps since it took charge in August this year. Therefore, he needs to be reminded where his administration has stumbled. His major failure certainly was to establish the rule of law, although he had a chance to do so in his first 100 days in the office of the Prime Minister.

The countrywide protest campaign triggered by a Supreme Court verdict exonerating Asia Bibi from the blasphemy charges was the first litmus test for the Prime Minister’s leadership skills. His address to the nation even compelled his staunch critics to praise the stance he took against the handful of people trying to challenge the writ of the state. But that optimism was short-lived as his government did exactly the opposite.



No matter how many justifications the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government came up with, the agreement with the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) was nothing but a document of surrender. The government ministers kept insisting that the deal was signed just to prevent the situation from going from bad to worse. The hope was that once normalcy returned the state would nab those who openly incited people to violence, issued death threats to superior court judges and even called for mutiny within the army. However, there is deafening silence on the part of the government and it appears that no action would be taken against those who clearly committed treasonable acts.

If that was not enough, the latest tragedy of the brutal murder of SP Tahir Khan Dawar has further exposed the government and surely other state institutions for their incompetence. Dawar was a devoted police officer whose contributions to the anti-terror fight can be judged from the fact that he had twice survived terrorist attacks. He was on the hit list of terrorist groups. But what the government did after his abduction in Islamabad is beyond comprehension. He was picked up from the posh sector of the capital on October 26. Two days later, Prime Minister’s media adviser Iftikhar Durrani told Voice of America that reports about Dawar’s kidnapping were not true as he was in Peshawar. The response from Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi was rather mind-boggling. He refused to speak on the subject by merely suggesting the issue was sensitive. Certainly, there were sensitivities attached to such high-profile kidnappings but authorities at least must be seen doing something. On the contrary, there was no visible action on the part of the authorities to find the whereabouts of the police official. The government woke up from its slumber only when the damage had been done. Prime Minister Imran Khan, who also holds the portfolio of interior minister, broke his silence and ordered an immediate inquiry into the tragic incident but not before Pakistan had lost a brave son of the soil.

And then the familiar template of blaming external elements for our own failures. Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Chief Military Spokesperson, pointed fingers at the Afghan state agencies for being behind the brutal murder of Dawar. Certainly, the manner in which the Afghan side delayed the handing over of his body was condemnable and shameful. But before we blame others, we need to find answers from within.



How was Dawar abducted in a relatively peaceful Islamabad and how did his abductors manage to take him to Afghanistan by dodging dozens of security checks Pakistan has put in place all the way to the border? These are legitimate questions that need to be answered by the government, not the Afghan side.

An honest appraisal of Dawar’s murder and the fallout of TLP protest will determine the real performance of the PTI government because these issues are connected to the rule of law — a perquisite for putting this country on the road to peace and prosperity.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2018.

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