Usher in stability

The postponement of bye-polls on vacant seats in three provinces has stirred a new political debate

Politics is entering into a nail-biting phase. Notwithstanding the calamity that has hit the country, stakeholders are out to make an impact. The coalition government, which governs on a wafer-thin majority in the parliament, seems clueless as to how to proceed ahead as it faces daunting tasks of rehabilitation in the wake of floods and an economy that is not showing any signs of stability. The falling rupee and exports have unnerved growth, and the country is literally in a socio-political chaos. To further up the ante is the PTI’s street politics. Former prime minister Imran Khan plans to kick-start a final phase of agitation to dislodge the federal dispensation in order to seek fresh elections.

The postponement of bye-polls on vacant seats in three provinces, simultaneously, has stirred a new political debate. The PTI believes it to be an outcome of the government’s adamant attitude not to provide political space to the opposition, and it argues that the ruling clique fears its popularity. Likewise, a new phase of blame-game is underway as the Election Commission is under fire for arbitrarily putting off polls. The PTI says deferring bye-elections was a ploy as none of the constituencies are stagnated due to floods. While the opposition contemplates a long march on Islamabad, things are likely to get more bizarre and could lead to more instability and lawlessness.

The government, nonetheless, is seized with an important decision to make and that pertains to the appointment of the next army chief. While Chief of Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa is likely to doff his uniform by the end of November, the next incumbent’s choice has become a public debate. This element has added a new impetus to politics, as a diatribe of analyses is unnecessarily compounding the political mosaic. Public representatives must refrain from commenting on constitutional offices, especially those related to the armed forces, as their nomenclature of appointments and promotions is one of the best professionally ordained in Pakistan.

Pakistan is in dire need of a political dialogue and that too with a specific-focus on what’s ahead. The country has seen enough instability and degeneration in all walks of life. Addressing the economic woes must top the agenda to relieve the masses from the bite of inflation and depreciation. Politics is all about public service, and merely playing to the gallery by promising welfare and lecturing on good governance is no service to the nation. Time to watch the steps, and walk the talk.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2022.

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