ON Monday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif after his bail was rejected by the Lahore High Court. Although the government may not be directly involved in the arrest of Shahbaz Sharif, the timing of his detention will serve to reinforce the opposition’s narrative of oppression and selective accountability. His incarceration comes at a time when the opposition is all set to mount its protest campaign against the PTI government.
The political situation has become edgy since the multiparty conference held a week ago, and the opposition’s announcement of its public campaign. Nearly two weeks ago, leaders of all political parties had attended a meeting with COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa and reached a consensus on giving GB provincial status after the elections scheduled for Nov 15. All leaders had also concurred to ensure that these elections would be conducted in a free and transparent manner. Nevertheless, this consensus seems imperiled as the war of words has once again heated up. With Maryam Nawaz and her father-in-exile Nawaz Sharif pulling their punches against the powers that be, things are likely to get even more rancorous with the arrest of Mr Sharif.
Pakistani politics has invariably centered around blame game and mudslinging. The PTI leadership continues to dub the opposition leadership a ‘mafia’ while the opposition has branded the government as a ‘selected’ one. Neither seems to accept the other’s democratic credentials, and yet both claim to espouse democracy. Therefore, it’s unfortunate that a standard working relationship between major stakeholders simply doesn’t exist. In the wake of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s speech, the establishment is likely to face a salvo of criticism in the next few weeks. A system in continuous conflict confronts the risk of becoming dysfunctional—something Pakistan cannot afford.
The only way to avert this eventuality is for the government to provide the opposition the democratic space that it urgently needs. Blistering rhetoric and provocative allegations may suit the government politically but it doesn’t bode well for a system that is striving to find a semblance of stability. The opposition, on the other hand, needs to ensure that its protest and planned long march do not push matters to the brink. Only if all institutions respect their constitutional limitations and work within their set boundaries can those that weave conspiracies against democracy be stopped in their tracks.
The post Shahbaz Sharif’s Arrest appeared first on Rava.
from Rava https://ift.tt/33btLWr
0 comments:
Post a Comment