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| Is the ego of political parties dividing Pakistan |
The situation in Pakistan has never been as serious as it is now.
The country's economy is on the verge of bankruptcy, and society is politically divided. Millions of people have not yet been able to get out of the effects of last year's floods. Incidents of terrorism are on the rise in the country and the spiral of inflation has made it difficult for millions of citizens to earn two meals a day.
On one hand, the country is suffering from severe financial problems, on the other hand, there is a power struggle between politicians and institutions as to who will run Pakistan.
Despite debates on TV channels daily, stern ultimatums, and numerous protest rallies and processions, Pakistan still seems unable to answer the question posed a year ago.
"What makes this current situation unprecedented is the presence of other serious crises," says Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.
"Pakistan cannot afford to say that this political crisis is a distraction, and eventually the situation will normalize and we will get to where we need to be."
Pakistan's economy is facing difficulties. Its foreign exchange reserves, which are used to pay for other imports including fuel, have fallen to their lowest levels in decades. Meetings with the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, earlier this year resulted in a $1.1 billion tranche yet to be agreed upon.
On the other hand, the militants are continuing to attack the security forces. Pakistan's armed forces have recently said that 436 terrorist attacks have taken place so far this year. After such attacks, militant groups regularly release infographics that claim the number of attacks, the number of security forces killed or injured, and the number of weapons seized during operations across the country.
And in such a situation, the prices of food and drink in every gold-rich country are increasing. Apart from this, Pakistan has not been able to recover from the effects of last year's devastating floods and unseasonal rains have started again this year. There is no dearth of questions to ask politicians.
Journalist and political analyst Mehmal Sarfaraz say that 'political instability is worsening the situation and system. The system of Pakistan is collapsing and if this happens, it will not be beneficial for the people of Pakistan or the politicians.
Why the political deadlock?
Analysts say the current situation started after Imran Khan's government was overthrown by a no-confidence motion in April last year.
Kogelman says that "Imran Khan refused to acknowledge it and it was clear that the current government will not ignore Imran Khan's agitation and anger."
Imran Khan responded by holding rallies across the country and marching towards Islamabad.
The number of court cases instituted by the government against Imran Khan is increasing. His party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf says that more than a hundred cases have been filed against Imran Khan under the provisions of contempt of court, corruption, and terrorism.
But the former prime minister has responded to the government's lawsuits through his political campaign, accusing the government of "making the law of the jungle in the country."
While the government ministers in response accuse Imran Khan of acting with 'ego' and 'selfishness'.
After Imran Khan failed to appear in court several times, the Islamabad police arrived twice to arrest him from his residence in Lahore.
Imran Khan has also dragged the government to court. His party has tried to hold general elections in the country by dissolving two provincial assemblies and when they failed in this, they filed a case in the Supreme Court of the country, which is currently under hearing.
This judicial tussle has also divided the judiciary. The government alleges that a few judges of the judiciary are in support of Imran Khan and this division and sharp disagreement has created a constitutional crisis in the country.
Ahmad Bilal, the head of Puldat and a political analyst, says that 'Imran Khan will not let the government sit comfortably, while on the other hand, all the attention of this government has been on saving its own government.'
He believes this confrontation is related to Imran Khan's personality because he is not ready to compromise.
Ahmad Bilal says that non-compromise on the part of Imran Khan is futile and may harm him in the long run.
While Mehmal Sarfaraz says that this deadlock indicates Pakistan's institutions are failing. "There is no such party, institution or group left that can play the role of mediator, the country's establishment has also lost its credibility."
The term establishment is often used to refer to Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies. Pakistan's army has always played an important role in the country's politics. Sometimes they seized the power of the country by staging a military coup, sometimes they sat behind the scenes and shook the strings.
Many analysts believe that Imran Khan's victory in the 2018 elections was made possible with the help of the army. Now that he is in the opposition, he is an open critic of the army and this has reduced the army's popularity.
Michael Kugelman says that "there are clear indications that some of the future plans in the military there is no contract.
"I think the top leadership of the army would be happy not to involve themselves in politics anymore, while many elements in the lower and middle ranks of the army are big supporters of Imran Khan," he says. They have also created division among the people and the army. It is a difficult task to finish.
What will happen next?
Ahmad Bilal says that the general elections in the country are also to be held this year, but there is a fear that they may also be delayed on the pretext of the country's security situation and insufficient funds. And if it does, it will be very damaging.
"I think it will be very unfortunate and it will damage the democratic process in the country, which may be irreparable because we have never seen a general election being delayed before," he says.
The government and PTI have already held talks regarding the date of the election, in which they have agreed to hold the provincial and national assembly elections in the country on the same day, but there is no agreement on when they are to be held.
Mehmal Sarfaraz says that now only agreement on the date of elections is not enough.
"Even if the elections are held now, there will be a conflict until the political parties decide what their limits are," she says.
She says that if both parties, the government and the PTI, do not decide how they can keep the election process transparent and impartial, the results will be disputed and the country will be more politically divided.
It depends on politicians whether they can reach an agreement in a politically divided country, an apparently difficult task.
Mehmal Sarfaraz says that politicians have to understand that they are political opponents and not personal enemies. There is still time for us to move things forward and negotiate and communicate with each other before it is too late and the whole system collapses."