The rare same-day talks by the Chief of Army Staff with the PM and President come amidst rising attacks on military personnel by terrorists and the uncertain situation of Afghanistan on the one hand, and an escalation of tensions between the government and the opposition that carries the potential to engulf the country on the other. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sh Rashid Ahmad has dismissed rumours of a rift between the PM and the country’s ‘establishment’, maintaining that the former enjoyed impeccable ties with the latter.
There is a noticeable change in the pattern of terrorist attacks by Baloch insurgents and TTP terrorists. Earlier these were generally confined to hit-and-run attacks, firing across the border from safe havens in Afghanistan or recourse to IED attacks on the security personnel. As was seen in Panjgur and Naushki, the terrorists conducted coordinated attacks on security forces camps, imposing heavier losses than at any time in the past. In tribal areas also there is an unprecedented upsurge in terrorist attacks on security forces. This has naturally added to the worries of the armed forces. The Army rightly expects the civilian government to help reduce its worries instead of further adding to them.
The government-opposition tensions are meanwhile on the increase. The opposition is approaching the government allies and PTI dissidents to seek their help in making the no-confidence move against PM Imran Khan successful. At the same time the opposition is preparing for countrywide marches to Islamabad to put pressure on the PM to resign. The government is fully concentrated on foiling the opposition’s offensive with the entire civil administration and federal security bodies fully devoted to denting the opposition’s two pronged attack.
It is legitimate to expect that the PTI government would pay full attention to cooling down the political temperature in the country, directing related ministries and institutions to help the country counter the rising tide of terrorism. As things stand, the whole government machinery is geared to countering the opposition. There is a need on the part of the PM to personally hold talks with the opposition to jointly end the ongoing no-holds-barred tussle. One also expects the opposition to respond favorably to any offer of ceasefire coming directly from the PM in the greater national interest.
