The news may not serve democracy well that former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran has got the approval of his party to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies. Earlier, Mr Khan called off the Haqeeqi Azaadi march after a rally in Rawalpindi, with some unexpected announcements. Before the alleged assassination attempt on him, the march was gaining momentum. The gunshots broke that, but the party leaders quickly worked towards recovery. Khan, however, after a hiatus of two weeks, announced that the march would end and he would let the public know of a new plan. He announced that now PTI and its supporters will push towards bringing the election date closer and will resign from assemblies. He also, once again, talked about the people who he thinks hatched the plan of his assassination and said that he will seek justice and bring down all those who are involved in such activities.
Governments led by Khan’s party and allies are in place in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Additionally, it is represented in the assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan. Even though all of the party’s lawmakers submitted their resignations to the National Assembly, they were not all accepted, which means the party holds stakes in the National Assembly too. Mr Khan also declared that he would keep up his protest until fresh elections were called. However, elections in Pakistan are not scheduled to take place until the current National Assembly’s term expires in August 2023. When the call for elections was given right after Mr Khan was ousted in April, the Election Commission of Pakistan declared that it would need at least seven months before the next general election to prepare fresh electoral rolls. Now the call has been given again, and seven months have passed. However, it is likely that the Pakistan Democratic Movement government will finish the term of this National Assembly before the scheduled general elections are called. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, however, says elections can be delayed for additional six months, and the constitutional terms allow doing as well.
Mr Khan’s need to stay relevant and wreak havoc in the name of the betterment of his country has cost people much more than he can see. His cabinet’s short-term policies before the ouster and the political instability caused by him afterwards have taken a toll on many of the economic indicators of the country.
When there is political instability in a country, the economy always takes a hit. The current economic situation may not all be Khan’s doing, but essential factors that boost economic growth, stability, and development are repulsed when a country faces political turmoil. One of the most basic examples of this is foreign direct investment. This economic factor is crucial for a country to develop economically; however, foreign investors shy away from countries that are not politically sound as they do not see any returns.
Khan’s constant need for attention and power is taking down the country, which he says is very dear to him. If he really wants to look out for Pakistan, he must roll back his announcement of resignation. In only a few months, the next general elections will be called, and if the PTI chief has garnered as much support as he says he has, then he must wait. If he is the true and most loyal leader of Pakistan and the people see this, he will become prime minister again. However, he should not bring more and more chaos into an already chaos-ridden state.
