Khrushchev’s knot

Pulling appears to have stopped for the time being, but will most likely accelerate more aggressively in coming days

This is part of a telegram Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union (1953-64), had sent to American President John F Kennedy at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis: “Mr. President, we and you ought not now to pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied the knot of war, because the more the two of us pull, the tighter that knot will be tied. And a moment may come when that knot will be tied so tight that even he who tied it will not have the strength to untie it, and then it will be necessary to cut that knot. And what that would mean is not for me to explain to you, because you yourself understand perfectly of what terrible forces our countries dispose. Consequently, if there is no intention to tighten that knot and thereby to doom the world to the catastrophe of thermonuclear war, then let us not only relax the forces pulling on the ends of the rope, let us take measures to untie that knot. We are ready for this.”

The statement perfectly explains prevailing political crisis in Pakistan. On one side of the rope are opposition parties and on the other side the PTI. Both had been pulling the rope to their side since the announcement of the results of the 2018 general election. The tug of war started when Bilawal Bhutto addressed Imran Khan as ‘Prime Minister-select’ during the inaugural session of the National Assembly after the elections in 2018. Gradually, other opposition leaders joined the game. By January 2022 the game intensified. Since then the rope is being pulled at both ends and the knot continues to get tightened. The masses are trapped in the knot and if both sides continue pulling the rope to their respective sides, the people will soon be unable to breath. And there appears no sign of ending the game. No one is ready to utter in Khrushchev’s words, ‘we are ready for it’ i.e. to pull out.

A hope had surfaced when Supreme Court intervened. But, its short-order, according to many social media activists, failed to provide an acceptable way forward to all the contesting parties. For instance, to many people inviting Bilawal Bhutto and Shehbaz Sharif to the rostrum inside the Room 1 of the Supreme Court caused suspicion as well as the order for the Speaker to hold the assembly session on a particular date, and time; and the restoration of the federal cabinet that had resigned voluntarily. Many also perceived it to be equal to interference in the internal affairs of parliament. Read Article 69 (1): “The validity of any proceedings shall not be called in question on the ground of any irregularity of procedure.” Postponing of the hearing on Article 63A was also perceived by some with suspicion.

It is worth noting here that on 5^th April an English newspaper reported that the Election Commission of Pakistan “expressed its inability to conduct general elections within three months, citing various legal hitches and procedural challenges as the reason”. The following day, the ECP issued a two-line clarification, saying it had not issued any statement regarding conduct of election. On 7^th April, a few hours before the Supreme Court ruling was announced, the ECP issued a statement expressing its inability to hold general election within 90 days. By coming public, the ECP proved the newspaper story correct.

The plot thickens.

It is worth noting here that an election observation group had also issued a similar statement on 4^th April. Its statement says: “Multiple constitutional, legal and operational challenges to the conduct of an early election” exist. The statement also expressed “hopes for a prompt decision by the apex court, as any delay will continue to accrue collateral issues arising out of the constitutional deadlock”. Now consider this statement of the opposition parties of the time, printed in an English daily on 6^th April: “Opposition parties seem to be getting impatient with the prolonged Supreme Court hearing of a case dealing with the current political situation, and this was evident from the tone and tenor of the statements, press conferences and tweets issued by a number of opposition leaders on Tuesday. In a series of press statements, opposition leaders not only urged the apex court to decide the case at the earliest, they also expressed the hope that the judiciary would not resurrect the ‘doctrine of necessity’ again.”

On 5^th April, an old friend and a former Special Assistant to PM Khan sent me a statement that was to be circulated for endorsement. It had already carried 150 names including mine. I read the statement and found it incorrect and biased. For instance, it said “the Constitution of Pakistan was abrogated by the outgoing government.” We all know the Constitution was not abrogated. And secondly, though the fate of the PTI government had become precarious, no one was certain about the outcome. I pointed out the same to him and in response, he said I was right. I along with some people objected that their names had been added as signatories of the statement without their consent. I was informed in writing that my name had been removed at my request. Interestingly, when I probed further, I got this answer — “Long story, Bari.” You guess. Within 24 hours, the statement reaches the Chief Justice Office and splashed by media.

The question arises: how come these highly qualified writers could make such errors and predict the future? Interestingly the said statement reportedly reaches the Supreme Court like a bullet and is published widely by media. Now reconsider the above-mentioned similarities between the statement of an election observation group, statements of the opposition parties and the ECP’s position on holding of election within 90 days. Was it just a series of coincidences or part of a script? I leave it to the readers to draw their own conclusions. However, when I join the anecdotal dots, I find a pattern and mysterious cohesion. It also made me and many other Pakistanis, whether living inside or overseas, extremely sad the way Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court had suddenly become proactive on Saturday night. A colossal suspicion has overwhelmed the nation since then. It also saddened me deeply to find abusive tweets about our honourable judges.

I personally believe that intelligentsia and civil society must take positions based on ethics and considering their ideologies. However, they should be careful about taking a side when pulling the rope threatens to cause mayhem and death to humanity. Though this pulling appears to have stopped for the time being, it will most likely accelerate even more aggressively in coming days. I wonder who will act Khrushchev!

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2022.

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