Guests to any household are served tea or cold drinks depending upon the climate at least 90 minutes before the lunch or dinner is served; keeping in view the fact that the guest’s stomach is empty enough; having the demand for food; so that the effort made for the supper does not go in vain. If the host loads the tea or cold drink with samosas or chicken patties, there will be less space in the guests’ stomach to fathom or fully appreciate the food made in their honour.
As fellow Pakistanis close down their businesses and offices and scramble to reach their hometown for participation in Eid festivities, or might have reached by now; the political players are still part of the suspense mode; whether the dinner should be served 90 minutes after the cold drinks or, confectionery be served along with the drinks.
The PTI political game plan, which was to force a snap election, has proven to be an utter failure, instead pushing the country to a political stalemate; which has only contributed to the uncertainty, for the public at large as well as for the business decision-makers. The result being that despite all the efforts for loan procurement and talks with the IMF, the economy is not simply showing any signs of recovery for that matter.
When the PTI went ahead with the dissolution of the Punjab and KPK Assemblies; it was thought that with over 60 percent of the country without any legislature; the government would bow down and order snap elections. Snap elections in working polities have been a normal feature. In fact in Pakistan, the first run of the 1973 Constitution was influenced by snap polls thought over by the late ZAB; when the actual date for the general elections was supposed to be April 1978. What happened later on is history.
The incumbent, visible as well as behind the curtain, treated the PTI strategy in a way that instead of a complete run for snap polls; they felt separate elections before the expected general elections can be the best way; not to go for complete snap polls.
What emerged after repeated referrals to the Supreme Court turned out to be that the elections generated out of the PTI dissolution gimmick will be separate; while the general elections as scheduled for 2023 would be a separate exercise. While the PTI treated the issue that way, the incumbent thought it opportune that instead of holding two elections within the period of a few months; a single-day exercise be authorized. Precisely the Ministry of Defence’s contention before the judiciary at the time of going to print. In a way, the two parties locked horns on sole drinks or drinks with samosas.
As things stand now, the suspense and air of political gaming on part of the PTI seems to be on the back foot. The party leadership is kept busy in one way or another in cases deliberately filed across the geographical limits of the country. Likewise, there are slim chances that the incumbents with full backing of the establishment will listen to what the PTI would have wanted; firstly the scrapping of the current setup for snap polls; secondly elections in at least Punjab and KPK. Now the suspicion about the incumbent government of the possibility of holding the elections in the first place is being called into question.
The resulting scenario proved that the PTI strategy to play within the system has bombed miserably; with practically no recovery or contingency plan; the natural outcome of such strategy is further polarization. Likewise the incumbent, despite a stance of confidence, miserably exposed their flank that they do not want an open contest with the PTI over the ballot, rather hope for ‘supernatural’ adjustment on part of the powers that be.
A way out for that is a wider negotiation table; not between the political parties; but a behind the scene move like the Kakar formula of 1993. A reset of the system with the consensus of all is a peaceful way out. The other options, given the level of political divide, which is dividing the society along all possible and imaginative lines, can be civil unrest; not where revolutionaries corner the other; rather pro and anti forces are equally lined up. Such scenarios demand a deep appreciation towards the correction of the situation.
A look at the political landscape, as felt on social media, reveals that the PTI stance is likely to harden with regard to the established order with the passage of time. The name-calling of judiciary members not in line with the party view demonstrates that in the period after Eid, there are ample chances that the cause of confrontation between the incumbents as well as the PTI will increase.
Many political commentaries equate the PTI position with that of the Awami League in 1971; which is an unconvincing parallel to say the least. The issue at heart is the inability of the established order, the incumbent and the PTI to sit down; compromise their respective egos and look for the way out. The system at work as the result of promulgation of the 1973 Constitution 50 years back calls for more transparency. The current state of affairs is that the introduction and continuation of the hybrid model has created a quagmire; where even the newborn radicals like the PTI do not know where the exit lies.
The PTI is seeking a break from the post-1988 trends when political governments were sent packing at will, but has proven to end up in a stalemate longer than expected. The PTI’s initial signals of revolution created a false hope that an implosion of the system would be a way out for Pakistan. However, what was observed was that the party opted to play by the system; taking part in elections staged by the incumbents, seeking justice in those very courts and systems they despised.
Going by the system by the revolutionary party PTI, created a valid impression among the common person, who was otherwise converting to the PTI cause; as it was also his cause that the system should be changed. However, that new convert retracted his steps as he felt that the party was just any other group trying its luck; or in plain words seeking the corridors of power under the banner or call of the revolution.
Therefore, the urge for dinner in the stomach of the guests is still intact; sans the fact that the revolutionary vanguard; in the shape of the PTI, is still bent on serving hi-tea along with the cold drinks or tea. That insistence, based on the apprehension that the dinner might never be served, needs a revisit; rather a debate.
Pakistan as it stands in an election year has to be decisive; with the participation of the key players; what is intended to be done in phases. Elections in the isolated manner in two provinces can be an insistence or matter of prestige, but not a practical proposition. Polarization in politics on the back of abusive language has created such big gulfs that any confidence building will need a good starter blast; otherwise, it can be a dampener.
A way out for that is a wider negotiation table; not between the political parties; but a behind the scene move like the Kakar formula of 1993. A reset of the system with the consensus of all is a peaceful way out. The other options, given the level of political divide, which is dividing the society along all possible and imaginative lines, can be civil unrest; not where revolutionaries corner the other; rather pro and anti forces are equally lined up. Such scenarios demand a deep appreciation towards the correction of the situation.
