The figureheads can’t seem to do much by way of, well, figuring. Their place in the scheme of things, for instance. Both the President and the Punjab Governor are acting in a manner unbecoming of the constitutional heads of the federal and provincial governments in a parliamentary democracy.
The now erstwhile Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema’s ditching his duty of swearing in the newly constituted provincial cabinet for the more exciting task of swearing at the newly constituted provincial capital was causing a bit of a hiccup. It wasn’t some sort of constitutional powerplay that he employed, just an obstinate refusal to do what his role required to do. Speaking of dereliction of duty, the President also ‘rejected’ the advice by the Prime Minister to remove the Punjab Governor in light of his behaviour. To what end, though? The Cabinet Division subsequently denotified Cheema as Governor anyway, as per the rules regarding the binding advice of the PM being executed anyway after a stipulated period.
Notwithstanding the former government acting in a manner unbecoming of a mature political party, there is still some merit in their demand for the new government to call early elections. That seems to be the only way to resolve the current impasse. Legally, they don’t have to, of course, but with the PTI having called quits from the NA – and the implicit threat of doing the same in Punjab – it is now becoming clear that perhaps a fresh mandate is, indeed, the only way forward. The newly-sworn in Punjab CM himself has reiterated the same several times now.
But that acquiescence to the PTI’s demands requires a modicum of grace from the former ruling party. Former PM Imran Khan should realise that flexibility makes for principled politics, whereas intransigence makes for fascism.
