The Standoff continues
The standoff between the army and lmran continues with neither side prepared to bend. Dawn correctly noted in an editorial on May I 0: “In fact, there seems to be even more bad blood between the PTI and the security establishment; both sides appear unwilling to reconsider the combative stance they have taken towards each other”.
In the latest development, as of this writing, the PTI has declined to support the Government's newly announced military operation, “Azm-e-lstehkam” (Commitment for Stability), aimed at eradicating terrorism and extremism till it is subjected to a parliamentary scrutiny. The PTI, along with its ally, the Sunni lttehad Council (SIC), has called for the military leadership to brief parliament before proceeding. They staged a walkout from the National Assembly on June 23, protesting that they were not given a chance to speak. Following the walkout, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan addressed the media, stating that “any military operation must have parliamentary approval. Parliament is supreme under the constitution”.
He called for an in-camera briefing by military leaders, citing past precedents. PTI's Leader of the Opposition, Omar Ayub, highlighted the necessity of parliamentary consent for such operations. He argued that true peace could only be achieved through adherence to the rule of law and not by force.
Defence Minister and senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif hit back accusing the PTI of “standing with terrorists against the army”.
The PTI and the establishment take on each other with remarkable fervour. Whenever lmran is acquitted in a case the Government hastens to appeal the decision in a higher court. For instance, on June 3 the Islamabad High Court acquitted lmran and his party colleague and former Foreign M i nister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case overturning a special court's order that had sentenced them to I 0 years in prison. Following this, on June 13, the Government challenged the H1gh Court's judgment in the Supreme Court taking the plea that the “overwhelming evidence” presented by the prosecution had been overlooked.
Coalition for protecting constitution
The PTI has established an anti-Government coalition called the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TIAP), or Movement for the Protection of Constitution, in collaboration with the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Balochistan, National Party (Mengal), Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) and the SIC. The coalition kicked off its campaign demanding a transparent inquiry into the “mandate theft” with a rally in Pishin (Balochistan) on April 13. The Jamaat-elslami attended the rally but it has not yet formally joined the alliance. Efforts have been made to win over formidable Jamiat Ulema-e-lslam-Fazal outfit chief Fazal-ur-Rehman who is going solo against the Government. The Jl and the JUI-F have street power.
PKMPA's Mahmood Khan Achakzai has been appointed chairman of the TTAP. He believes in the supremacy of the constitution and has labeled the fight against unconstitutional measures as a form of ‘jihad” necessary for the Country's true freedom. He has bitterly criticized the demand for lmran's apology: “Importers of martial law in the country should apologise first, then I will ask the people behind the May 9th incident to apologise. The problems will not be solved till the time the institutions do not stay within their defined limits, now we have to be bold and make reforms.”
There have been intermittent reports suggesting that lmran and his party might be open to negotiations with the establishment. In the third week of June, PTI spokesperson Raoof Hassan indicated that lmran was receptive to “constructive suggestions” from PKMAP chairman Achakzai, who has been in dialogue with the Government. However, he specified that there would be no direct contact with the Government itself. Previously, following observations from the Supreme Court during a hearing that the PTI should engage in dialogue to end the political impasse, lmran reportedly directed his party's leadership to initiate outreach to the Government to resolve its issues in parliament through dialogue. On June 26, Omar Ayub spurned Shehbaz's offer for dialogue in the National Assembly stating: ‘'Talks will take place when lmran Khan is out of jail and when our members are out [of jail)…We will not talk. Imran Khan has been kept in a death cell and an oven.”
Easier said than done
The saying “easier said than done” aptly describes the situation. The ruling PML-N and the PTI have historically had strained relations, and the army has openly expressed its discontent. With Nawaz Sharif formally resuming his role as the chief of PML-N in May, his reputation for being reluctant to yield political ground further complicates the prospect of reconciliation.
Normalcy is unlikely to be restored on the political spectrum soon. The overall environment is precarious. There is increasing terrorist and extremist violence. In the first quarter of 2024 alone there have been 245 terror attacks on security forces, police check-posts and public places – mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces which have accounted for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84 percent of attacks. According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 -marking a record six-year high.
Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, a retired police officer and former Secretary to Government, Home and Tribal Affairs Department, noted in an article in The Express Tribune: ‘'There is an alarming increase in the acts of terrorism in the country, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The intensity and frequency of attacks demonstrate the capacity of militant outfits to strike at will. The recent terrorist incidents include the Beesham attack on Chinese citizens, kidnapping of a sessions judge in Tank, killing of seven barbers in Gwadar and the attack at naval air base near Turbot. The current wave of terrorism in Balochistan has two dimensions: ethnic and religious. Attacks on Chinese citizens, ethnic groups other than the Baloch, and security forces in Baloch-dominated areas are mostly attributed to BLA and its lethal wing, the Majeed Brigade. While the religiously-motivated terrorism is mostly the handiwork of TTP and IS-Khorasan.” (BLA stands for the Balochistan Liberation Army which is fighting for the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan. IS-Khorasan is the regional chapter of the Islamic State}.
Quite a few soldiers lose their lives every month in terrorist violence in border provinces along Afghanistan.
Rule of lynch mobs
To add to this dismal scenario, there was the rule of lynch mobs taking law into their hands to deliver instant justice in the name of religion. On June 20, a violent mob, instigated by local mosques, burnt alive a person accused of committing an act of desecration inside a police station in Swat's Madyan area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Earlier on May 25, about 350 to 450 armed men and women gathered in front of a Christian home in Sargodha city in Punjab province looking for a 72-year old Christian man blaming him for a blasphemous act. They set fire to the house as well as a few Christian establishments around it.
The police managed to rescue the man from the burning home. By that time, however, the mob had reached him and severely assaulted him. He succumbed to his injuries nine days later in a Rawalpindi hospital.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed serious concern about the unfolding situation in Sargodha. The National Assembly passed a resolution, moved by Law Minister Azam Tarar, strongly condemning mob lynchings in Swat and Sargodaha and calling upon provincial governments to take all possible steps to ensure the safety of all citizens, including minorities. The minister said the “upsetting and painful events” in Swat and Sargodha were part of a “chain”.
All through there were parallel developments in which the members of the Ahmadi (also spelt as Ahmadiyya) community were the targets of official actions. Many Ahmadis were arrested (their number was said to be 36 in Punjab) for engaging in religious practices such as sacrificing animals during Eid-ul-Azha and holding prayers in their homes. In Pakistan, Ahmadis are legally barred from identifying as Muslims or from openly preaching and propagating their faith. Despite a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that stated obstructing non-Muslims from practicing their religion within their places of worship is unconstitutional, these practices continue, as reported by various media outlets in Pakistan.
‘Dangerous levels'
Well-known security expert Muhammad Amir Rana observed in an article in Dawn: “lncidents like the one in Madyan, Swat, lynchings in Punab and against the Ahmadi community during Eid indicate that extremism in society is reaching dangerous levels. Taking the law into one's own hands has become standard practice for charged mobs and activists of radical religious groups. The administration hardly attempts to restrain them, and simply registers cases against the suspects. People with clout then come forward and help the suspects and their families financially and with legal aid. Once they are released, they become heroes in their communities. This has become the norm after every blasphemy-related tragedy that involves lynching and mob violence. A majoritarian mindset is at play, with the state a mere spectator.”
Societal discrimination and legal restrictions have played havoc with the lives of the Ahmadis. In a situation report “monitoring the plight of the Ahmadiyya community”, the National Commission for Human Rights, a statutory body of Pakistan, has recorded, among other things, the following figures of atrocities on the community from 1984 to September I I, 2023: Number of Ahmadis killed 280; Ahmadis assaulted for their faith – 41 5; Number of Ahmadiyya worship places demolished – 5 I; Number of Ahmadiyya worship places sealed by the authorities – 46; Number of Ahmadiyya worship places set on fire or damaged – 39; Number of Ahmadiyya worship places forcibly occupied -18; Number of Ahmadiyya worship places, construction of which was barred by the authorities- 62; Ahmad is' bodies exhumed after burial – 39; Burial of Ahmadis was denied in common cemetery- 96; Ahmadis graves desecrated and damaged in 2023- 99; Number of incidents of Kalima removal from Ahmadis' houses and shops – 64; Number of incidents of Kalima removal from Ahmadis' worship places. (Kalima is the fundamental tenet of Islamic faith).
*P.S.* (Article Courtesy:
Border Affairs)
