Pakistan’s govt now faces a credibility crisis

The government in Islamabad is in a fix. It is struggling to reimpose its writ after radicals agreed to end their 21-day protest on outskirts of the federal capital, and that too under a deal mediated by the army. This has put the civilian government in a precarious position. What started as an effort to amend a clause of the constitution that incidentally carries the law which declares the finality of the Prophet-hood of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a mandatory oath has led to one of the biggest political blunders by a government. Religious cadre, as well as the opposition, played to the gallery. This paved way for fringe extremists to take advantage. The amendment, which was passed by the parliament, ironically enjoyed the consent of both the treasury and the opposition. But it became a skin-saving exercise once the plot was unearthed, referring to change in vocabulary of the oath testimony. The opposition distanced itself. The government was in total retreat. But by then the damage was done.

The amendment, retreat and the capitulation of the government at the hands of extremists have posed questions on who’s in charge. Why did the government opt for the so-called amendment? Why were the radicals not stopped, and who pampered them with food and amenities during the sit-in? Why did the government seek the military’s mediation? The Islamabad High Court suo moto questioned the government’s delegation of its authority to the military. While the fanatics walked away in triumph after the sacking of the law minister and guarantees from the federal government that all hooligans would be released, it was a complete surrender for the government of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The agreement, which lauds the role of army chief as an honest broker and bears the signature of a serving major-general as guarantor could put democracy in peril while sending the wrong signal to the world. The military has come to the limelight and the elected government has played second fiddle during a crisis which is huge dent in democratic credibility.