From the Editorial Desk (Dec-2014)

Dear Readers,

Imran Khan’s PTI came to Karachi on Dec 12 as part of its plan to shut down major cities and eventually the entire country “to pressurise the government into meeting its demands”. Contrary to all apprehensions the protest went off quite peacefully with the Sindh Government showing maturity in allowing lmran freedom to have his say. The powerful and influential MQM also acted wisely and refrained from hindering the PTI’s programme in the city but as far as PTI was concerned it was a fruitful day and it was able to shut down several major arteries of the city. While some parts of the city remained unaffected to a large extent, the day allowed PTI to claim success and having blown off steam the PTI left and by evening Karachi had returned back to normal. Everyone went away happy due largely to the Sindh government’s patient handling of the day. However, Faisalabad was a different story earlier on Dec 8 with violence and chaos ruling the roost and one PTI supporter being shot dead. Workers of PML(N) were allowed to clash with the PTI protesters; this was pretty much on the cards by inflammatory statements by Rana Sanaullah and Abid Sher Ali who lead the PML(N) in Faisalabad daring the PTI to exer­cise its strength in their stronghold. Thereafter on Dec 15 Lahore was the stage for PTI’s last city-specific shutdowns where Imran’s party was able to bring out a large crowd but here too, violence was on display and some rather ugly scenes were seen.

On Dec 17 the PTI core committee decided to end its countrywide four-months long sit-in protests in light of the terrorist attack a day earli­er on on army-run school in Peshawar that left 141 people dead, of which 132 were school children. This is a step in the right direction as the country needs notional unity at a time like this. But Imran has insist­ed that o judicial commission must be constituted to investigate alleged rigging during the 2013 elections. For the benefit of readers I am repro­ducing my article “PLAN U FOR UNITY”.

An old adage says you hope for the best but plan for the worst. With PML(N) not budging on their demands, PTl’s ongoing saga is following that script. Having proved his party’s resilience by the long-term Dharna (sit-in) at Islamabad’s D Chowk, lmran Khan set out to prove that PTI’s protest was not simply a flash in the Capital. While all the cities in Punjab had on enthusiastic response, the smaller rally relatively in Larkana was still a stunner for PPP, in every sense Lord and Masters of interior Sindh. That cut no ice nudging PML(N) out of their political com­placency, they were gambling that with winter setting in Imran could lit­erally and figuratively be “out in the cold” in D-Chowk.

Straitjacketed by a rather ambiguous strategy it was necessary to change tactics, “Plan C for Charlie” was thus implemented, with esca­lation to Plan D being crafted. The PML(N) gut-reaction is to confront the PTI man for man in the streets, despite getting the Sharifs into trou­ble in Model Town Rana Sanaullah leads those PML(N) hawks with a bully-boy penchant for Sultan Rahi-type violence. Faisalabad was a PR disaster for the PML(N), a Gullo Bull-type appeared on cue and shot dead a PTI loyalist on prime-time TV. Whether a PML(N) activist or a hired thug is a moot point, no amount of media disseminated falsehood will quell the growing perception that undeterred by video-recorded evidence (like in Model Town), PML(N) hawks prefer brutal and senseless confrontation. And in the wake of the deadly and atrocious mass killing of innocent school children in Peshawar, what is the nature of political support such PML(N) stalwarts enjoy in their constituencies?

Any Metropolitan city can be easily shut down by closing down o few critical road crossings, nevertheless the spontaneous PTI rallies all over Pakistan did create political waves: The protest in MQM-dominated Karachi, (to MQM’s and PPP’s credit without violence), was a revelation. The shutdown in Lahore, the Sharif’s seat of power, was crucially important for both PTI and the PML(N). Ruling Punjab with on iron fist, brother Shahbaz Sharif does not take kindly to any show of dis­sent in “his city”. Son Hamza Sharif (of the “Mai ki Lal” fame) was breathing fire challenging anyone attempt­ing protest anywhere in the Province, let alone Lahore. PTI supporters did take the low into their hands at places to enforce the shutdown! An overwhelming num­ber of women and children physically come out in droves to Imran Khan’s rallies, alarmingly there were stray cases of harassment in the good old Lahori tradition. The jury is still out whether those running riot were from PTI or agent provocateurs infiltrated to give PTI a bad name, that type of “dirty tricks” (DT) should have been anticipated, “Vigilante squads” should have been in place as a ready response to counter such behaviour. With perception growing among both the intelligentsia and the masses about their political potential, the one­ day discomfort for the average citizen in each city is the price PTI is prepared to pay as a calculated risk for the political mileage they are getting.

Saner heads prevailed to change the countrywide shutdown from Dec 16, an unfortunate choice given the connotations associated with the day. Quickly realizing their faux pas PTI changed the date to Dec 18. Because of the Peshawar atrocity PTI as now very rightly called off the countrywide protest. The good news is that PML(N) (a friendly nudge from somewhere?) had earlier agreed to re-start the dialogue with PTI, the horrible killing of 130 plus schoolchildren reinforces why there must be a closure to the ongoing political insanity. Residual consequences of fighting with each other rather than the real terrorist enemy should give reason to PML(N) and PTI to think again about the future of the country. The Nawaz Sharif Govt very rightly claims that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is shy because of the ongoing political electoral upheaval, he should contribute to eliminating the stand-off by displaying com­promise. PTI has pragmatically dropped the Constitutionally non-starter demand for the PM’s resig­nation, given the sorry history of such Commissions in Pakistan PTI’s asking for a “judicial commission” is also a non-starter. PTI’s must show flexibility in making real­istic demands to accomplish its grand strategy.

No other priority for us is more important than root­ing out terrorism in all its forms. Both PML(N) and PTI should concentrate on the electoral system being revised to remove the anomalies that permit electoral fraud (and protest thereof) from taking place. The legal filibuster by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to keep the ballot boxes from being opened reinforces the conclusion that he subverted the electoral process to get elected. We now have got a good CEC in Justice Raza, his courage of conviction quite apparent by even a curso­ry reading of his outstanding dissenting notes to former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s autocratic judgments. The PML(N) and PPP displayed good judgment by inducting Justice Raza, they should persist with their show of good faith by changing the four Election Commissioners who have become controversial, inducting those of unquestioned integrity and without any leaning towards any political party. Once electoral reforms are enacted by Parliament (working with a cut­ off date) there would be both a legal and moral justifi­cation for fresh elections under the revamped Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Both PML (N) and PTI should use this tragedy as a reason not to blunder into Plan D, given the likes of Rana Sanaullah it could only lead to further grief. Have we learnt any lessons about political compro­mise from the tragedy of 43 years ago? Sustained obduracy resulted in the history of 1947 Pakistan com­ing to a dead stop on Dec 16, 1971, we cannot afford the Pakistan of 1971 being further truncated. One must commend the PM for calling an All Parties Conference immediately in Peshawar, one must also commend lmran Khan for shunning politics to respond to the PM’s initiative. My no-brainer advice to both, for the sake of the future of the country do not let the blood of innocents be wasted because of on asinine deadlock that can be easily resolved by a one-point agenda. The entire country supports electoral reforms, this country cannot be held hostage by a few thousand feudals and their paid lackeys.

There is a time to fight and there is a time to unite. Instead of a Plan D for Death and Destruction, what this country needs is a Plan U for UNITY.+