Pakistan May Be Drifting Towards Another Martial Law!

28 October 2016

By Saeed Qureshi

The PMNL government has come down with a heavy hand on the rioting PTI workers who in compliance with the order of Imran Khan are bent upon assailing Islamabad and agitate. Imran Khan uses filthy language against the prime minister of Pakistan and goes to any length of indecency in tarnishing his image. Their latest upsurge is fifth or sixth solely aimed at destabilizing the political order that came into being through a democratic and constitutional procedure.

Imran Khan and his ilk should wait for the next elections due in May 2018 and try their luck through the legitimate course of people's mandate to come into power. Any other course would lead to socio-political mayhem scuttling the democratic process and perhaps lead to the imposition of martial law in Pakistan.

It appears as if Imran Khan has either personal enmity with the Sharif family or else he has some ulterior motives to pursue at the behest of forces inimical to Pakistan. It further surmises that as a result of this hooliganism perpetrated for malicious intentions and spurious goals, Pakistan would fall into the line of some terribly destabilized Islamic countries such as Iraq Syria and Yemen.

The removal of the present government would entail a complete breakdown of the order and social peace that has been in place for quite a few years. More grievously, it would negatively impinge upon the monumental milestone project CPEC that would be a turning phase and milestone for the territorial integrity, prosperity and economic uplift of Pakistan.

The general elections held in May 2013 gave a mandate to the PMNL to form the government. The next elections are due in May 2018. It would be in order and desirable that PTI and the opposition parties should harness their efforts and launch their political maneuverings for that elections and try to win the public opinion to come into power and unfold their agendas for progress and prosperity and advancement of Pakistan.

The PTI's provincial government in PKH province has not thrown up any miracles that they deserve to seek a short cut to the power at the federal level. Has Imran Khan a bag of miracles and a magic wand that with PTI's coming into power the country would turn into a garden and there would be flowers everywhere. It is foregone that PTI has slim chances of assailing into power corridors as witnessed in Azad Kashmir elections and other bye-elections on vacant seats in Pakistan.

Imran Khan possesses a mindset to settle score with Sharif family for some personal reasons or vendetta. If it so, then it is indeed a very shabby and flimsy ground to demolish and pull down an established political order now half way through its tenure.

Notwithstanding, the conclusively proven allegations of money making or money-laundering (Nawaz family may not be alone in the entire country), the incumbent PMNL dispensation is doing much better governance than any other government so far in Pakistan. Money laundering or corruption is worldwide culture. In Pakistan's context, the corruption should be investigated by FIA and other concerned agencies. Till such time that the charges are proven, any government or individual should not be punished or harassed.

The term corruption has been variously used in Pakistan as a handy poly and rather stunt to demonize the political contenders. I would vouch that Nawaz Sharif must have accumulated underserving wealth but then the question is who has not done so in Pakistan and elsewhere in the world. Do we, per say, forget the title of Mr. 10 percent.

Why Imran Khan is so riveted on Nawaz Sharif and wants him to abandon power and tried for corruption? Why he doesn't call for across the board and non-discriminatory probe against all those who were involved in such heinous scandals of money laundering and ill-gotten wealth. For instance, what about the PPP government and its stalwarts against whom the charges of corruption are as manifest as the rising sun? He is lashing out only at Sharif family which connotes that he has mala-fide intentions against them.

Yes, corruption must be investigated but through the judicial and legal systems. But if Imran Khan doesn't believe even in judiciary, still it doesn't mean that a government should be brought down through street agitations and by creating a social and civic disorder which hurts the people more than the rulers.

In this vindictive campaigning against Nawaz Sharif and his government, the sideline actors have too joined hands. Look at the misdemeanor of Sheikh Rashid who himself doesn't have honorable credentials to decry a political opponent by using a language of threat and abuses. Don't these pygmy politicians have any sense of decency and decorum to behave and restrain from using filthy jargon and slogans.

Per say, let us suppose through a miracle the PMNL is dismantled before the May 13, 2018 general elections and PTI, and PMLQ and Awami Muslim league combine seizes the power. Would they not expect the PMNL to return the same compliment to them through street violence, sits-ins and burn and besiege tactics now being employed the PTI and its cohorts. Imagine where such political vendettas and sinister rigmarole would lead Pakistan already exposed to internal and external threats to its sovereignty and existence.

So, if this chaos and turmoil continues unabated we may well forecast that the armed forces would have to intervene. It means imposition of Martial law. The country would drift back to apolitical stage and whatever democratic edifice has been built would crumble.

If the PTI and their political cohorts want the military government to take over, then they may continue with their mindless and ruinous protests and rallies. They would be direly mistaken that with the advent of the military rule, they would be honored as heroes: not at all. However, the country would suffer immensely and may be the ongoing internal disorder would get worse.

But the most insidious and frightening outcome would be that the Taliban and other militants would try to intervene and plunge the country into a conflict that might result in disintegration of Pakistan. Already in Baluchistan province, separation movements and insurgencies are going on that keep the army to counter them around the year.

These breakaway movements notably Baluchistan Nationalists, Baluchistan Liberation army, Baluchistan people's liberation Front of Khair Bakhsh Marri (BPLF) are engaged in sabotage and a kind of guerilla war against the federation of Pakistan. The religious militant outfit, ''Lashkar-e- Jhangavi'' has been attacking Hazaras community who mostly belong to Shia sect. some of these groups are believed to be supported by India.

So PTI and Sheikh Rashid and other anti-Nawaz bands should eschew the tendency of scuttling a political system erected on popular will. Nawaz Sharif and his government may go but in return PTI and other dissidents would not be able to heal the deep wounds inflicted on the body-politic of Pakistan. 

©  EsinIslam.Com

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