The Supreme Court of Pakistan turned down the coalition government’s plea for a full court bench hearing and rejected Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari’s decision to deduct the ten votes of the PIT’s coalition partner PML-Q in the run-off election for Punjab Chief Minister. This decision was given by a three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar. They heard the full arguments of the government and its allies’ counsel, who urged them to constitute a full bench. Since the case was not complicated and the constitution of the full court bench was not possible before September, the apex court considered this demand a pretext for prolonging the case and rejected it. The Pakistani nation experienced a surprising attitude from the government coalition parties in this case. The ruling of the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker for rejecting ten votes of the PML-Q was blatantly against the constitution of Pakistan and everyone has the sense to understand it.
But all the stalwarts of the government coalition started a nasty campaign against the Apex Court before the decision. It was a clear effort to influence the decision. They also threatened that if the full court bench is not constituted, they will boycott the proceedings and reject the decision. This type of attitude by the government parties was seen for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The country’s worst economic conditions have resulted in price hikes and layoffs. Millions of families are facing the bread and butter problem. All intellectuals and patriots were expecting general elections for a sure solution to come out of this national crisis. The harsh and extreme tone of the politicians’ attacks on each other is disappointing. That is why there was a hope that the powerful institutions will come forward to solve the political disputes.
But the government coalition’s attitude is just like shutting all the doors to peaceful solutions. It seems like the government coalition, after a major defeat in by-elections, is in search of a new narrative for themselves. No doubt, Imran Khan is successful in his anti-establishment and regime change narratives. He knows how to put pressure on the institutions. His popularity or the success of his narrative is not because of some special technique, but when someone stays devoted to his cause, it is expressed by every part of his body. If you claim something, it is evaluated by your past and by the experiences of others regarding your attitudes. Unfortunately, the majority of our politicians rely on lying. They think that big mouths, louder voices, repeated lies, appearing in the media and making a lot of noise makes you successful. It is wrong.
Creating nonsense noise by different crowds can certainly make the environment intolerable but can never make a person noble in others’ eyes. Our liar politicians should never forget that if they are lying to save their political career or to plunder this poor country, they will remain liars and will never be noble in the eyes of the public, even if they make mountains of lies before the eyes of some people. Politicians, whether in government or out of government, can create a nasty environment in the country. But their characters can’t remain hidden. Every movement they make is being watched by the public.
The majority of our people are jobless, and a majority of them have an extreme interest in politics. That is why they know much more about politicians than they know about themselves. This is the time to think about the solutions to bring the nation out of this critical environment. Elections are the only process through which we can gain political stability and confidence. The sooner the dates of the general elections are announced, the better it is. New Chief Election Commissioner, Caretaker Government, Procedures of the election, Elections Code of Ethics. Those politicians can’t be called sane who believe in hue and cry. The big mouths and strong throats of the political parties must be kept under control. There is also a big chunk of politicians who are known for their sanity, high intellect level, and moderate attitudes. They must come forward for reconciliation. If there is no hope from amongst the politicians, then institutions must take things into their hands and we must go for the elections.
