‘PROTESTS AGAINST GOVT A BASIC DEMOCRATIC RIGHT’

LEADERS FROM BOTH SIDES OF AISLE PARTICIPATE IN A SEMINAR BY SDPI ON THE EVOLVING POLITICAL SITUATION

PROTEST against government policies is part of all functional democracies; yet, it was expected of all political forces in the country to refrain from derailing the system, in the greater interest of the people and in consideration to the changing geo-political environment in the region. These remarks were made by speakers at Monday in a Sustainable development Policy Institute (SDPI) seminar entitled ‘Evolving Political Situation in the Country’.

Shahyar Afridi, MNA for Paksitan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), while commenting on the evolving political situation and the November 2 call for protest in Islamabad, said the present regime had lost its credibility, which was revealed by its fear of accountability. He said that PTI was left with no other option but to come out on the roads. “We would remain peaceful during our November 2 protest but the actions of the government would determine whether there is to be confrontation with our workers or not”, he said, adding that their struggle was to establish transparent and corruption free governance in the country, and peaceful protests against the government should not be seen as a threat to democracy, he added.

Abid Qayyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, earlier presented an overview of the public perspective on evolving political situation. He said that, as an independent research organization, SDPI respected the right to protest, which is in fact the very essence of democracy.

However, their prime concern remained the protection of civil liberties of citizens, especially the residents of Islamabad who seemed somewhat threatened in the face of the call for siege or blockade of the city, he concluded.

Concerning the call for blockade of the capital city, Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, MNA Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PMLN) opined that such actions would set the wrong precedent regarding respect for democratic norms in society during political action in the future.

The hearing of the case against the Prime Minister revealed that the legal system in the country was intact and functional, he said, and the PTI should have used that forum to hold the prime minister accountable. Rana added further that instead of employing such negative tactics, PTI could have helped the government in introducing genuine reforms to curb corruption had it been sincere for its cause.

Farhatullah Babar, Senator, Pakistan People’s party Parliamentarians (PPP-P), on the occasion suggested that Prime Minister should make some important announcements to defuse the political atmosphere of unrest and confrontation. Accepting the Terms of Reference presented by the opposition on Panama Leaks would be a huge step forward in this regard.

He observed that preemptive actions such as the arrest of PTI workers or leadership seemed unlikely to be a successful option for the government as the evidence suggested it lacked the support of the security establishment. He said that civilmilitary relations at present were strained and needed long term solutions. He suggested the formation of a Parliamentary Security Council as such a solution.

Defence analyst, Let. Gen. (R) Amjad Shoaib, expressed the view that the government was responsible for unleashing negative propaganda regarding the role of Pakistan Army. He said the government was actually up to protect the extremist and terrorist elements harboring in Punjab.

Senator Taj Haider (PPP-P) also shared his views with the participants and said that government should not be afraid of accountability. He said democracy in the country could not flourish until we created equal opportunities for poor and rich alike, and were able to inequalities of all sorts.

The panel expressed its agreement upon the idea that democracy must not be derailed in the country and the right of protest against the government should be respected. The speakers said that all political parties needed to play their roles well if they wished to uphold democratic values in the country.