An Unending Crisis

As Pakistan faces its worst political crisis, all eyes are now on the judiciary to determine which side the camel will sit in the battlefield called Punjab

ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic move, a five-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has reversed within 24 hours a decision by the Punjab governor to send packing the provincial chief minister and his cabinet. The court directed both sides to appear before it for further proceedings on11 January.

Though on the face of it, the superior judiciary appears to have averted yet another political crisis through its intervention – at least for the time being –, but the genesis of the problem still remains amid continuing mistrust and hatred among warring political players. Coming days and weeks will see the worsening of the situation.

Political analysts believe that the interim relief given by the LHC has brought about a timely respite, but it is unlikely to end the tensions between the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), especially on the issue of holding early general elections.

Political stability, which is vital for reversing, or at least slowing down, the ongoing economic downspin, remains a far cry for now as political opponents are busy using all means fair and foul to outwit each other, thereby further aggravating the situation, says Assistant Professor Naeemullah Khan.

The move by Governor Punjab, Balighur Rehman, to de-notify the Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, was challenged by the latter in the Lahore High Court along with an undertaking that he will not dissolve the Punjab Assembly as and when the Governor’s de-notification of his office is suspended.

The court directed both sides to appear before it on 11 January.

The counsel representing Punjab Governor, Balighur Rehman, submitted before the court that if the Chief Minister takes a vote of confidence during this period, then the Governor will withdraw his de-notification notice. Legal experts said that the hearing on this case will define various legal and constitutional points, and will further define the role of the Governors in provincial governments.

Meanwhile, the PTI so far has not been able to fulfill its promise of dissolving the parliaments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces on December 23rd. Yet, it has successfully exerted pressure on the government once again by asking the National Assembly Speaker to accept resignations of around 123 PTI Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), which were filed in April this year.

Parliamentary sources informed Bol News that although some backdoor efforts have been made in the recent past to break the impasse between the PDM and the PTI, no progress is so far in evidence because of the extreme positions of the two rival sides. The PTI wants early elections, but the PDM is adamant on completing its mandated term in office and if possible extending it by at least one year.

In this connection, Vice-Chairman of the PTI, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, wrote a letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly, asking him for some time before the members who tendered their resignations could appear before him in their individual capacity to confirm those resignations.

PTI Vice-President, Faward Chaudhry, said that ultimately they would dissolve the assemblies of both the Punjab and the KP, making it clear that they would not back out from their demand of early elections which, according to him, is the only way forward. “Assemblies will ultimately have to be dissolved. However, it can be delayed for a couple of weeks,” Fawad Chaudhry said, adding that they could even go for a vote of confidence much before the date given by the court for the next hearing on the matter.

Political analysts believe that putting on hold the Governor’s decision to de-seat the Chief Minister and his cabinet will only add to the political crisis in the country. This, they say, will ultimately have a negative effect on an already troubled national economy.

PTI central leader, Hamad Azhar, said that his party’s point of view was vindicated in the court of law, adding that the Governor’s move to de-notify the chief minister and his cabinet was actually a coup against the democratically elected government, and met its fate in the court of law.

Meanwhile, the PTI leadership has held back-to-back meetings over the last 24 hours at Zaman Park in Lahore to discuss the future course of action in the light of the fast-changing political situation in the province. The legal team of the PTI has briefed the party Chairman, Imran Khan, and its central leaders on various options open to them.

Sources in the PTI informed that the party leadership had anticipated de-notification of chief minister by the Punjab Governor, and that was why the Punjab Assembly Speaker, Sibtain Khan, had prepared a reference against the Governor, which was sent to President Arif Alvi soon after the issuance of the de-notification order.

The de-notification order came late on Thursday night, and was immediately rejected by Pervaiz Elahi, terming it as illegal and announcing that he will challenge it in the court of law. The party’s legal team was already armed with a petition to be filed in Lahore High Court the same night.

PTI Central Vice-President, Fawad Chaudhry, rejected the Governor’s move, terming it illegal, and said that the Chief Minister and his cabinet remain intact.

Punjab Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mohammad Basharat Raja, said that Governor Blighur Rehman has committed a mistake similar to the one Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari had committed. He sounded optimistic that the superior courts will reject it.