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Political tug of war

Col Ikram Ullah Khan

With the so-called “jail bharo tahreek” of PTI, the political tug of war has entered a new phase which is likely to assume an ugly shape in the coming days as both the government and the opposition seem to be in no mood to budge even an inch from their stated positions and remain adamant to knock each other down.

The government is dilly-dallying the provincial assembly elections and seems reluctant to hold them in the stipulated time unless SC gives verdict to do so which seems more likely. 
Unfortunately, political circus in the country has been going on unabated for the last 8 months. Both the government and the opposition have locked horns and are engaged in intense political showdown that has resulted in political instability which in turn has created a sinister environment that has caused severe economic meltdown thus bringing the country to the brink of economic default. In such a stark political and economic scenario, what is most unfortunate is that our political leadership on both sides of the aisle are stubbornly engaged in subduing each other and opposition is not inclined to sit with the government to find solution to the existing problems and to take necessary measures to steer the country out of political and economic crisis plaguing the country. 
PDM government is facing unending problems visiting it in droves. These problems remind me of the following immortal lines from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, which I am going to quote: “When troubles come, they come not single spies but in battalions”. 
But despite all that Shahbaz Sharif and his allies have no choice but to remain clung to the power and prolong it as much as they can because he who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount. They know once they lose power they will lose support. Moreover, Sharif brothers have the grim realization that Punjab which once used to be a political heartland of PML-N, no more remains their bastion now. 
Due to its abysmally poor performance, the government has failed to halt economic meltdown with unprecedented stagflation making the life of a common man miserable. It has earned the displeasure of the public at large and people are seen antagonistic towards the government and seem to be in no mood to vote PML-N and its allies to power in the coming elections. The problem goes even deeper; there is definitely more to it than meets the eye. In such a dire situation, the government has decided to fight back till last rather than give in. 
Unfortunately, the government has not yet been successful to strike a deal with IMF despite having accepted most of its harsh demands at a very high political cost. Resumption of IMF program is crucial to unlock other avenues of financial aids from other countries as the much-needed financial assistance from friendly countries in the shape of donations and loans is contingent upon the resumption of IMF programme. The government is in a race against time to meet the deadline of March 1 set by IMF to take necessary measures to fulfill its demands. 
As for the opposition, we see a highly self-opinionated man in the shape of Imran Khan surrounded by hangers-on and sycophants. He has dug his heels deep in and is not ready to fall back or even go halfway. With all his boats burnt he has blocked all his ways to retreat and has no other choice but to fight a do-or-die battle for his political survival. Despite his false claims, hollow promises and misleading narrative based on a cooked-up conspiracy theory, he still enjoys large following. Moreover, he is famed for making a political melodrama out of everything that happens. 
With regard to general elections, if history of general elections in Pakistan be any guide, elections have never provided solution to take the country out of political morass, rather it has further compounded the situation. Those who constantly and vehemently plead that holding immediate general elections is the only solution to take the country out of the economic and political crisis, are terribly mistaken. In their heart of hearts they know that this is not the solution. 
Political history of Pakistan bears witness to the fact that the general elections only result in more political instability and chaos because the losing party seldom accepts the election results and allegations of rigging are levelled against the winning party invariably. So in order to fix the problem once and for all, government of technocrats must be formed for at least four years to put the country back on the path of political and economic recovery. Meanwhile necessary steps must be taken to make required political and electoral reforms to make the elections acceptable to all. Moreover, possibility of switching over to presidential form of government may be deliberated upon as parliamentary system of government has miserably failed to deliver. This is the only solution to steer the country out of the abiding political crisis the country has been suffering from.
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