A bad proposal

Ever since he was ousted from power in a coup, Nawaz Sharif has been a reliable voice in the fight to keep the military out of matters that rightfully belong to civilians. Even though his party, the PML-N, was a creature of the military establishment back in Ziaul Haq’s days, it seems that now it is the only party willing to take on the might of the military. In that context, Nawaz Sharif’s vow to bring military courts to Karachi, if he comes into power, is doubly disappointing. Thankfully, Sharif’s proposal has been rejected and condemned by the PPP in Sindh and also been rubbished by the Supreme Court, despite the fact that the PML-N played a big role in helping restore the superior judiciary after Pervez Musharraf’s attacks on it. Sharif, who has been visiting Sindh a lot recently in an effort to try and make inroads in the province, apparently thought that the thirst for quick justice would lead to strong support for military justice. He has been proven wrong.

While relying on military justice is problematic in any case, this is doubly true for Karachi. Using the military to solve Karachi’s problems only exacerbates them. The MQM, for one, would never accept the presence of the military in what they consider to be their city if there was any chance that they would end up being targeted. The ANP and PPP, too, would have serious reservations about submitting their activists to military courts. While military courts may not be as disastrous as previous military operations in the city that is a very low threshold to cross. What makes the proposal even more curious is that it came at a time when Karachi is going through a period of relative calm. Nawaz Sharif, having had his rule curtailed twice before, should best understand the importance of building institutions and the rule of law. If he feels the judiciary has failed the people of Karachi, he needs to explain how it has done so and what can be done to get the process back on the right track. Simply using the military as a band-aid solution will not end the crisis; it will actually make it worse by eroding faith in civilian institutions.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2012.