Unprecedented political crisis in Pakistan

As the Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken suo motu of the issue of holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces within 90 days, as stipulated by the Constitution, it is quite obvious that the court would decide the case within a few days as the time is fast running out to meet the constitutional provision.
If the court decides that polls could be delayed beyond 90 days in order to hold elections for the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies together, then it would be on the basis of the “doctrine of necessity.” Hopefully, the doctrine is not invoked and the court would order elections in the two provinces, where the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissolved its governments, within 90 days. Once it is decided that elections in the two provinces will be conducted within the constitutionally provided time, then a beginning of the end of a profound political crisis commences.
The ongoing political crisis in the country, which started last year in April when the government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, was sent packing through a vote of no-confidence by a 13-party opposition after some coalition partners also abandoned the ruling party. The ruling alliance, which could only get a majority of two votes while the single majority party, the PTI, tendered resignation from the National Assembly, sowed the seed of the political crisis. However, in the last 10 months the ruling alliance could not bring political and economic stability in the country and the situation has been going from bad to worse. The crisis got more profound when the PTI also dissolved its governments in Punjab and KP. However, the most sordid aspect of the current political crisis is that the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan and other institutions including the caretaker governments of Punjab and KP, which also completely comprise members of the federal ruling alliance, have shunned their constitutional duties to make necessary arrangements for holding elections within 90 days. This has compelled the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu on the failure of all the bodies to fulfil their constitutional duties.
In this regard the role of the ECP and particularly its chief, Sikandar Sultan Raja, has been highly objectionable. Constitutionally, it is the duty of the ECP to hold elections. The ECP constitutionally could ask any state and even private institution and functionary to assist it in holding elections but it cannot refuse holding polls anyway. If the caretaker governments, the ECP and some state institutions are shunning their constitutional duties to hold elections due to incapacity and lack of resources then the entire political and constitutional scheme is at stake. This is a very dangerous situation because in other words this means that in Pakistan there could be no constitutionally elected democratic government in place within the stipulated time. In this connection, the question of great importance is: then what would be the status of the interim rulers?
There is not even an iota of doubt that the 13-party ruling alliance has been running away from elections because it has become unprecedentedly unpopular and it cannot win elections at all if polls are held transparently. However, the manner in which the government has been trying to avoid elections by hook or crook is not only unprecedented but also aims at derailing the political system. In the worst case, if the system breaks down, then the military would have to come forward and take the reins of the government. This is despite the fact the military has unequivocally declared that it would have no role in politics. This is indeed good but the situation may force the military to play a role.
But the military is only supposed to play a role if the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which constitutionally is the vanguard of the Constitution, is somehow unable to fix the political system. Hopefully, the court would do its utmost to put things in place. Nevertheless, one fears that if the current ruling alliance along with the ECP defies the court orders of holding elections in Punjab and KP within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies, then what option the court would have to implement its most likely decision is anybody’s guess. It is noteworthy that the current ruling alliance, in clear violation of the Constitution, has been taking many steps and wreaked havoc on the PTI and Imran Khan, which are on massive protest and agitation, so that the crisis may be aggravated so that the system collapses. It is really unfortunate because it is the system that brought into power two of the main parties of the ruling alliance, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), at least four times at the federal level and several times in provinces along with all other coalition partners. It is tantamount to biting the hand that feeds you. This means that the current political system is no more in the interest of the political parties which have been the greatest beneficiaries of it. In fact, the vitality of the political system has already become highly questionable.
Now when PML-N leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and more importantly the party’s vice president Maryam Nawaz, have crossed all limits of decency and law to disparage the Supreme Court of Pakistan and its honourable judges by even declaring them “corrupt” and “biased” including two sitting justices, it is a great blow to the independence of judiciary. Only the judiciary can take cognizance of it when the entire state apparatus is hell-bent to bring it into disrepute. Hopefully, contempt of court proceedings would be initiated against Maryam and even PM Shebaz Sharif. This is the only way to restore the respect of the judiciary and also put the system back on track. However, as a strategy the PML-N and the ruling allies would go to any extent to disrespect the judiciary. As the judiciary’s action is for the country, democracy and the system, Pakistanis must support it against verbal and possible physical attacks, as we have precedents of such happenings in the past from the PML-N. Again, the only way forward is holding elections first in Punjab and KP and then in entire Pakistan to come out of this unprecedented political crisis in the country.