Govt busy playing appointment chess, again

ISLAMABAD:

In the past two years, it seems the country's political leadership had moved from one key appointment to another, focusing on little else. The whole country had almost come to a standstill when the then PML-N-led ruling alliance had to pick a new army chief back in November 2022.

The political chessboard is once again marred with hectic political activities that have, so far, failed to yield any results as the ruling alliance is now busy picking the top judge of the country.

From November 2022 to October 2024, the country faced a host of issues ranging from political and constitutional wrangling to economic woes. Yet, the indecisiveness and delay in choosing the top man for the country's two most powerful institutions has somehow overshadowed everything else.

Last time, it was about November 29 – the day the army chief takes charge. This time around it's about October 25 – the day when a new chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) will enter office. It seems the political standoff between the ruling and opposition parties over the key appointments has become the new norm.

The current political impasse arises from the ruling alliance and opposition parties' (mainly PTI) measured efforts to move ahead as they like. Currently, the PML-N-led ruling alliance wishes to pass the 26th constitutional amendment before October 25, while the opposition parties, seemingly sans JUI-F, wish to drag the matter beyond the deadline.

For weeks, the PML-N-led ruling has been trying to pass the 26th constitutional amendment, yet it remained unsuccessful. The month of September saw one major attempt from the government's side, but it was thwarted by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at the eleventh hour as he vetoed the government's move by not giving his party's eight votes in the National Assembly and five in the Senate.

A month later, one major development regarding the proposed amendments is how JUI-F has forced the government to accept and incorporate its demands in the proposed draft. Though, with the efforts of JUI-F, PTI has finally been taken into the loop.

However, the party has yet to reveal its thoughts, let alone give anything in writing to a special committee of the NA, which was formed to deliberate on the matter.

Strenuous efforts to reach to a consensus on the 26th constitutional amendment have so far gone to waste as neither the PML-N-led ruling coalition, nor the opposition alliance, sans JUIF, have so far allowed the situation to return to normal.

Since the lobbying started on the proposed 26th constitutional amendment, a flurry of activities has been witnessed on the political scene, ranging from high-profile meetings to in-camera deliberations and from allegations of wheeling and dealing to the alleged abduction of the lawmakers and their family members to complete the numbers required to pass the bill.

Friday and Saturday were no different. PML-N, PPP and PTI, among others, were seen running back and forth to the Maulana's residence in the capital to reach a consensus on the proposed amendments. The sessions of both the houses of the parliament were called in the morning, but they couldn't get in under way, even after 10pm, as no consensus could be reached on the proposed final draft.

On one hand, the government claims that it has the numbers and can get the bill passed in no time, yet it was delaying things so that a broader consensus could be developed on the issue. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari even warned the opposition parties of 'brute majority' if they do not agree with the government.

On the other hand, PTI earlier linked its approval to a meeting with incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, and later connected further progress with Maulana's input in line with the instructions that the party leadership got from Imran Khan – an apparent attempt to take things beyond October 25.

On Saturday, Maulana's residence remained the centre of attention as the leadership of one party after the other headed that way. From Bilawal to BNP-M Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal and from PML-N leaders to PTI officials, there was no dearth of visitors for Maulana with only one request; take their side.

With every two or three meetings, the time for the NA and Senate sessions got delayed for a few hours; resulting in not beginning the sessions at all by 11:00pm. Back in September, the government had also faced similar embarrassment as it couldn't table the bill in Parliament. Despite tall claims, it seems to be stuck in a similar situation again.

They say October is the month when leaves fall down from trees and show their true colors. It seems this month has exposed the political elites' true colors as they continue to wrangle over the appointment of the top judge of the country.