STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
Will arrogance interfere with the law? So far arrogance has prevailed since April 2022 and continues unabated. Arrogance combined with lack of wisdom, at timesbordering on stupidity, is a terrible combination. It has been the order of the day for the last 18 months. The latest re-enactment was during the Interim Prime Minister’s visit to LUMS University; his anger at the questions raised and his reaction. Pakistanis have been on a roller coaster ride or living through a soap opera filled with one disaster after the other.
Analyzing the LUMS episode puts a spotlight on how our nation is being governed. Interim PM is constantly attempting to hog limelight and build his image. He focuses on everything except the purpose for which he was elevated to this position; to hold free and fair elections. Every time he is questioned about elections, he puts the monkey on ECP’s shoulder. Fraud being perpetuated all around. After his lack luster visits to UN and his jaunts to UK and France, he chose to tread into the boiling waters of anger felt by our educated youth.
LUMS is amongst one of the top institutions in the country. Its training is wholesome that prepares its young graduates extremely well to transition into real life opportunities and challenges. It grooms the students not just in their academic pursuits but also as well rounded individuals that can conduct themselves gracefully, without being subservient. Thus interim PM waded into a can of worms by just reading the label without bothering about its content.
This interim government is just an extension of Shahbaz Sharifs disastrous regime. PM Shahbaz was smart; he avoided going to events that could not be entirely choreographed. Maryam attempted to visit Government College University but chickened out at the eleventh hour after the intelligence agencies informed her about the youth’s sentiments. PM Kakar selected an institution that he thought had a soft touch as most of the students are cautious about having an unblemished career resume.
It did not turn out that way. A few students stepped out of their safety zone and politely articulated some very thorny questions. They make an interesting read. Why did the interim PM show up late? Why does this Junta dish out such harsh penalties totally disproportionate to the supposed illegal acts? What is PM doing in LUMS when he has economic life and death issues crying out for his governments’ attention? Constitution requires elections within 90 days of an assembly’s dissolution; why were they not held in Punjab, KP and now nationally?
All these questions are extremely relevant for the whole nation for which PM Kakar had no coherent answers. Neither do his puppet masters who pull his strings.
What happened next? PM Kakar and his handlers’ egos were tampered with. They lashed out to overcome this embarrassment like they have been doing for the last 18 months. It is the only way they know. They used the police to teach the entire LUMS institution a lesson. The next day the campus was raided to search for drugs. It was a first for an institution that enjoys an untarnished record. Pakistan has become a tin pot dictatorship where blind are leading the blind. Kakar’s efforts to build his image have been wiped out. He is damaged goods that will lead to his political demise.
In reality, Kakar is an insignificant cog in a regime run on fear and coercion. We see this unfolding every day. The recent hearing in Islamabad High Court of IK’s review petition of Cipher Case exemplifies this. After the first hearing, one of the Justices was overrun by the fear of retribution and removed himself from the Bench. PTI and Imran Khan cannot expect any justice from Courts run by threats rather than the law and the Constitution.
Pindi’s Junta is following a roadmap of extending their own rule through an un-imposed martial law or bring into power the tarnished and corrupt Nawaz Sharif along with the coterie assembled through blackmail. The recent attempts by PML(N) and Tareen’s IPP to put up a show of strength bombed at the box office. What they promoted as a ticket for heaven turned out be the path to hell. Pakistanis have refused to accept these crooks being rammed down their throats. PTI’s supporters are omnipresent and unwilling to surrender.
In this darkness since the solar eclipse of April 2022, there is appearance of a silver lining. The Supreme Court under the new leadership has finally pulled its weight in favor of a firm and definite election date. It is a huge turn-around from previous failed attempts by Justice Bandial to enforce the Constitution. They were openly spurned by ECP, PDM regime, Establishment and the Interims. This assertive SC is a gust of fresh air in a suffocating environment.
It appears the previous SC groupings were more of a personality clash than subservience to the Establishment. It is too early to rejoice; we have to wait and see. We have to be wary of the villain-in-chief of this entire debacle, theECP; an errand boy for the Sharifs. We have to organize to prevent the potential of the most rigged election in our history on February 8th. All the greedy and manipulative actors remain in control. Will the Pindi’s Establishment submit to the rule of law and Constitution? Will PTI get anopportunity to contest in a fair and free elections?
