Army, protesters and the government
AN emphatic set of statements by DG ISPR Gen Asim Bajwa during a press conference on Friday may help roll back some of the persisting criticism that the army leadership is directly or indirectly backing the anti-government protesters camped out on Constitution Avenue in the federal capital.
At the very least, whatever the truth to criticism directed at the army previously, it appears that the army leadership has, going forward, decided against direct intervention or open involvement in the ongoing political crisis.
To the Sheikh Rashids and Shujaat Hussains of the political class, this is surely a setback. Many an ardent admirer of military rule and unabashed supporter of the army's role in politics have openly invited the military to either take over or keep the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pinned to the mat — self-serving advice at best, given that it is the military that would have to deal with the fallout from a derailment of the democratic process.
Now, with the army speaking more firmly and candidly of its commitment to the democratic process, the air of conspiracy and intrigue can hopefully begin to clear.
Yet, in a depressing re-enactment of many of its earlier missteps, the PML-N appears to have interpreted the lifeline handed to it by the army leadership as an opportunity for renewing pressure on the anti-government protesters.
Two things will eventually need to be done by the government: the protesters will need to be peacefully moved away from the present sites they occupy; and those involved in violence on Constitution Avenue and attacks on state property will need to be identified, arrested, charged and prosecuted. Anything beyond that would be an excessive, unnecessary and unwise use of force — and a potentially fatal mistake by the PML-N. Unhappily, the PML-N often appears to have its priorities mixed up: rather than focusing on doing what it will take to strengthen the democratic process and salvage the government's mandate, the PML-N leadership seems more inclined to flex its muscles against the protesters.
Perhaps the PML-N leadership mistakenly has come to believe that the protests are really a numbers game — that if Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri had managed to bring a crowd in six figures into the streets of Islamabad, the government would have fallen. But it is not and never has been a question of a numbers game.
Even when whittled down to a few hundred protesters, Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri have had their voices amplified nationally through the media.
Even if the numbers at the PTI's rally surge over the weekend — assuming the government backs away from its disruption tactics — that would not fundamentally weaken the government's case and the democratic argument that much can be negotiated, but not everything the protesters want. Strategic patience, tactical nous and generosity of spirit — the PML-N still appears to lack all three.
©DAWN (Pakistan). All rights reserved. Reprinted by arrangement with ANN.
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