Pakistan: No One Is Winning – OpEd
During the ongoing war of egos and power struggle, no one will be the winner. Rather, the losers would be the state and the common citizens who are already in the clinches of inflation, poverty, and unemployment. While the state is hitherto in economic meltdown and under the vicious eyes of major international players.
The flames of the violence of May 9 have penetrated and reached the nook and corner of the state. The hooliganism that was built on fake narratives and false agenda-setting for petty political interests has wreaked havoc on the institutional buildings which have been signs of national pride. Appreciably, the security forces remained calm. Otherwise, the proponents of the protests planned to shed the blood of the common people and the security forces to drag the state toward anarchy and chaos.
The leadership of the PTI has been echoing their voice by igniting the people through false agenda setting and wrong narratives, assumptions, and propaganda that Imran Khan is our red line. It was a preplanned strategy on the part of PTI leadership to attack Army installations, statutes, and memorials of martyrs.
Mosharraf Zaidi writes in the News that during the vote on no-confidence Imran Khan had threatened that if I go down, I will take the whole system down with me. Regrettably, after his release from jail Imran Khan again threatened that if he was arrested the government would face the same response from his followers. This was pathetic and nasty. Using the common citizens for personal gains is never plausible. It is unacceptable.
The honorable Supreme Court has become a weapon for inciting people in rallies and speeches. Not to talk of the PTI even, a bad tact was set by the PDM leadership that staged a sit-in before the honorable court. These precedents are disastrous.
These violent developments were highlighted by the Indian media vehemently. They might be happy with the internal instability and attacking Pakistan Army which is the frontline defense against Indian aggression. Moreover, the international community especially the IMF must be worried about whose aid has always been conditioned to the internal stability of a state. At the same time, the friends of Pakistan such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, and China (Which have huge investments in Pakistan) might be disturbed by the hooliganism caused by the PTI leadership and its mob on May 9.
The pressure tactics applied in the current scenario reflect that in the war of egos and power struggle_state interests have been set aside. True that political and institutional issues be resolved through peaceful, democratic, and constitutional means. Using putschists, adopting violent means for the fulfillment of pitty interests, and using institutions as a shield for individual advantages will favor none. The sufferers will be we all. The deeply rooted Intra_elite confrontation must stop. No one will be stronger from it. All will be weaker.