Opposition has ‘no magic wand either’

Expressing dismay over Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s governance, Pakistanis living in the United States of America (USA) have stated that the joint opposition holds no magic wand either, therefore, all political forces must join hands by casting aside their differences to lift the country out of economic crisis.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, businessman Talat Rashid said overseas Pakistanis had high hopes in Prime Minister Imran Khan to take the country on an upward trajectory, but all their dreams were shattered because of the government’s bad performance in the last three and a half years.

"Everyone knows that Imran Khan made tall claims but exacerbated the situation. This, however, does not mean that he should be kicked off. If so, what options will be available with opposition parties. Can they redress all the issues in the wake of global economic crisis? I believe no party can do it alone. The political stability is linked to economic development, therefore all political parties must evolve a consensus to take Pakistan on the right path," he said.

Rashid who belongs to the US Republican Party and also served as first Muslim police commissioner of US Bolingbrook, Southwest suburb of Chicago, went on to say that governments with the support of coalition partners and elected leaders always face challenges, so there should be a charter of democratic dispensation among all the parties including PML-N PTI, PPP and others. “We overseas Pakistanis belong to different regions and provinces but want to see Pakistan prosperous,” he remarked.

Commenting on the current political turmoil in the country, Dr Tahir Rohail, a renowned physician, said political instability, sit-ins, movements, rallies and demonstrations on the instigation of certain forces have always damaged Pakistan and the already fragile democratic setup. "We agree that there is a constitutional procedure to remove any PM from his office, but I wonder why no single PM in Pakistan finishes his five years in office. Such political instability discourages investment and impedes development of any country,” he said.

Referring to meetings of Imran with overseas Pakistanis in early 2020s, Dr Rohail who is also an active member of Pakistan American Democracy Dialogue (PADD) said, "At that time, he was moderate and liberal, but after coming to power he has become the rightwing leader who seems to be the strong proponent of militants. This really amazed us while living in the USA.”

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"We always want to see civilian rule and democratic dispensation in Pakistan. Any move that is supported from certain quarters to disband the government or send the democratic setup packing must be slammed,” he said, adding that “as overseas Pakistanis, we want to see drastic reforms in taxation, provincial autonomy, empowerment of local government and different institutions, rule of law, quality education and health system, but it seems to be a distant dream.”

“We supported Imran against the status quo believing that he would deliver, but he miserably failed. Despite this, we want him to finish his tenure and let the people of Pakistan hold him accountable in the upcoming elections,” Dr Rohail maintained.

National Director American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Election Saleem Akhtar said the current political turmoil was predictable because the prime minister was taken to the throne via massive rigging in the 2018 general elections.

“We believe that the no-confidence proceedings must be held in a proper way, giving opportunity to all members of the opposition and treasury to exercise their right of vote,” he said, adding that PM Imran had staged a drama in the name of Riyasat-e-Madina and dashed the hopes of overseas Pakistanis too.
“We have high hopes that our apex court will make such a decision, which paves the way for a strong democracy in the country, creating a stumbling block for unconstitutional steps being envisaged by the premier and other quarters,” Akhtar said.

Javed Akbar, who runs his catering business at Devon Street of Chicago, stressed the need to have a national government comprising all parties and stakeholders to seek viable solutions to the prevailing economic crisis, rule of law and democratic values.

“I think a series of dialogues will be started to figure out the problems and bring about drastic reforms before holding upcoming general elections, otherwise it (the polls) will merely be a futile exercise," he said, emphasising that Pakistan must learn a lesson from countries who were under colonial rule and have now become strong nations.