The country’s two highest offices have started sparring it seems. The ball set rolling after President Dr Arif Alvi wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday, asking him to direct the relevant authorities to play their role along with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in conducting elections in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces as per the decision of the Supreme Court (SC).
The next day, Prime Minister Sharif responded, terming president’s letter to be “blatantly partisan”, which read like a press release of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The prime minister addressed Dr Alvi, telling him that he was openly supporting the one-sided, anti-government views of the PTI despite holding a constitutional office.
President Alvi had written the letter after the ECP put off elections for the Punjab Assembly till October 8, citing deteriorating security situation in the country. The postponement received a strong backlash from the PTI as well as several organisations. The president had also accused the authorities of using disproportionate force against political workers and journalists, reminding the prime minister that it was his responsibility to safeguard the rights of every citizen.
He went on to accuse the executive authorities and government departments of committing a “flagrant violation of the Constitution”. In his letter, PM Sharif pointed out to President Alvi that the tone and language he had used forced him to respond. He went on to say that the president had violated his oath on several occasions, in particular when the National Assembly was dissolved on April 3, 2022 and when he was elected as the prime minister. Even then, he added, that he had made every effort to maintain a good working relation with the president.
PM Sharif said all actions were being taken in accordance with law by the law enforcement agencies, whereas the president, due to his party allegiance, was ignoring “sheer isolation of laws, contumacious disregard of court orders, attacking the law enforcement agencies, damaging public property, attempts to create chaos, civil and political unrest”. He said the president did not say anything about PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s conduct, but even then the government ensured complete freedom of speech.
Recounting several events during the PTI’s tenure in government, Prime Minister Sharif said President Alvi never raised his voice or expressed his concern the way he did in his letter to him, and referred to various reports of human rights organisations that spoke poorly of the PTI government’s track record. He pointed out that President Alvi gave dates for elections for the provincial assemblies “at the behest of the PTI” but did not express his concern when they were dissolved. In the end, Mr Sharif said every effort would be made to thwart any attempt to undermine the constitutionally-elected government.
Unfortunately, these tit-for-tat replies would do no good, apart from complicating the already complex situation. Neither the current setup nor the opposition PTI is willing to take a step back. In fact they are gearing up for another duel, which will only make matters worse. The country is on its edge.
