As the caretaker government nears the end of even its extended tenure (its constitutionally prescribed tenure having been over a month ago), it and its members have begun doing things which do not seem to have any real purpose unless it be that of burnishing their CVs for inclusion in some future caretaker setup. There has been a Cabinet committee notified, headed by the caretaker Law Minister, which is to report back in 14 days on the May 9 incidents, identifying both perpetrators and instigators. Meanwhile, caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi has announced that his Ministry will be writing to The Economist over an article by PTI chief Imran Khan. That too seems as purposeless as setting up the committee.
The creation of the Cabinet committee begs the question of whether the Cabinet was unaware of what had happened on May 9, or of the litigation about its perpetrators being tried by military courts. It seems a little late in the day for such a committee. If there are indeed to be military trials, the military can handle the investigations; if civilian, then law and order is a provincial preserve. Setting up a committee now, which will report just two weeks before the February 8 elections, does not seem to have any purpose beyond signalling the military, which has taken a dim view of the incidents, as expressed in a corps commanders’ conference and a formation commanders’ conference, that the Cabinet members have their heart in the right place. Similarly, it is difficult to discern what Mr Solangi wishes to achieve by the letter to The Economist.
First of all, Mr Solangi runs the risk of being asked what business of his is it. He might also be asked what action had been taken against the jail authorities who let the article be written. Such letters may be given great respect by local publications, but surely Mr Solangi has knocked around the media long enough to know that a foreign publication will cock a snook at him. However, he may well show certain quarters that he can be relied on to act against the likes of Mr Khan, even though the old methods of control are now outdated. Mr Khan has been banned from both print and electronic media, so perhaps he cannot be blamed for using foreign media to get out his message. If foreign media wants to give him space, how can they be stopped?
