A few weeks back, Pakistan observed one year of the unsettling incident that ultimately led to tremulous developments in Pakistan snowballing into a major political upheaval. Preceding this, the then-Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested and, large-scale arrests of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rank and file were made.
Dwelling upon the developments, Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’ opined (May 9) that very little appears to have changed, at least from the political perspective. In fact, it said, there is even more bad blood between the PTI and the security establishment and both sides appear reluctant to reconsider the belligerent stance they have taken against each other.
In a press conference on May 7, a military spokesperson clarified that there would be no moving forward without a “sincere” apology from the PTI and a public disavowal of the politics of anarchy and hate. The PTI denounced the statement.
The military spokesperson produced statistics to prove why it was wrong to assess that the PTI had won the February 8 elections. He also turned towards India and blamed it for orchestrating terror activities in Pakistan. Now that Pakistan’s ‘love affair’ with Afghanistan has gone sour, it seems the former is back to its favourite game – blaming India for everything.
Unrestrained action
According to the ‘Dawn’, the PTI should now acknowledge that it acted in an irresponsible manner. Thousands were targeted in reprisals by the state and the events of the day accelerated the expansion of unelected forces’ influence in the state legislative and administrative apparatus. However, the state, too, is not without blame. Rather than acting with restraint, it responded with harsh measures.
The PTI-military stalemate, as per the ‘Dawn’, has been the elementary cause of political instability in Pakistan. Since neither side seems interested in a resolution, perhaps, the Government should step in. It can offer its best resources to prosecute the May 9 cases in civilian courts, thereby ensuring a transparent judicial process. If a transparent action is undertaken, this will prevent the two sides from engaging directly with each other and taking a confrontationist path.
Many May 9s in Pak
According to scholars’ opinions carried by ‘The Express Tribune’, there have been several thousand May 9 in the history of Pakistan. It was a May 9 for politicians when on three different occasions, the civilian governments were taken over by the military dictators. It was a May 9 for the judiciary when on several occasions they were disgraced, sent home, intimidated, and pressurised to give favourable judgements. It was a May 9 when every election was rigged in Pakistan and pseudo-political pressure groups were formed to dismantle the socalled anti-establishment party.
Pakistan has seen several May 9s, but the one in Karachi stands out — the mayhem in May 2007 when the police were asked to sit back and see the city descend into chaos. It is a May 9 for the people of Pakistan when intelligence agencies record private moments of influential individuals’ lives to blackmail them. It is a May 9 for this country when no prime minister is allowed to finish his tenure in office and is thrown out with disgrace. This country has a May 9 every day.
A hollow system>
These examples show how hollow Pakistan’s existing system is. According to a large section of intelligentsia, Pakistan is several decades behind India and even Bangladesh, not to speak of terrorism that has returned to the country with full fury. Pakistan watchers reckon that to avoid another May 9, Pakistan’s power paradigm will have to be readjusted. The billion-dollar question is: are there any takers for this long-awaited suggestion? This is the question many Pakistanis are asking on the first anniversary of its May 9 upheaval. The answer, perhaps, is elusive, at least for the time being.
