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Dawn Editorials Feb 6 2021
Dawn Editorials Feb 6 2021
Dawn Editorials Feb 6 2021
Chaos in parliament
EditorialPublished February 6, 2021
THE scenes of chaos ( )انتشارin the National Assembly this week have been a
pitiful yet pertinent symbol ( )حقیقت کی عالمتof the reality of politics in the
country today. An enraged opposition ( )مشتعل حزب اختالفand a bullish ruling
party locked horns during Thursday’s session, escalating ( )بڑھتی ہوئیalready
simmering ( )سنسناہٹtensions and confirming once again that civility and
dialogue are unthinkable for both sides. Sloganeering, desk-thumping and
shouting are hardly uncommon occurrences during Assembly sessions and
have been resorted ( )گزر جاناto by MNAs since the 1990s. This particular
session, however, also featured lawmakers abusing ( )برا بھال کہناeach other to a
point where a scuffle ( )لڑائی۔broke out. At one point, the speaker of the
Assembly had to be protected by a ring of sergeants-at-arms as opposition
lawmakers gathered before him. Perhaps for the first time in our
parliamentary history, treasury members ( )خزانے کے ارکانstaged a walkout
from the house after pointing out lack of quorum to prevent opposition
lawmakers from making speeches. As a result, despite a three-hour session,
the debate on the bill seeking an open Senate vote remained inconclusive ( غیر
)فیصلہ کُن.
The divisions between the PTI and opposition parties are clear as day, but
both sides, though cheerleaders of democracy by their own proclamations
()اعالن, indulge in behaviour that hurts the democratic process. Here, the
opposition must reflect on what it will achieve ( )پورا کرناby turning up the
political temperature in the Assembly to the extent that no constructive debate
( )تعمیری بحثis possible. Its announcement of a date for its long march
notwithstanding, the PDM needs to be clear on its position. While it has
announced that caravans will march to Islamabad on March 26, no details
have been shared about the alliance’s strategy ()اتحاد کی حکمت عملی. The PPP’s
desire to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister is clearly
not popular with the other party leaders and remains an unresolved sticking
point. Yet the alliance is sticking together and ostensibly ( )بناوٹی طور پرforging
( )ایجاد کرناahead with its plans. What is their end goal, and what will the march
realistically achieve is anyone’s guess.
The government is as much to blame for the hysteria ( )دیوانگیnot only in the
Assembly but also in talk shows and on social media. It has constantly goaded
( )اکسانا۔the opposition and shown high-handedness and aggression ()جارحیت
towards it at every forum. Its failure to reach out to the opposition for its key
responsibility of legislative business is also hurting ( )نقصانthe system.
Unfortunately, it appears as though this behaviour is encouraged in the party
and opposition-bashing ( )حزب اختالف کو مارناis the ready response to every
situation. Sanity must prevail, for this bitterness ( )کڑوا پنis giving no relief to
the public. There are a few seasoned politicians in government ranks who
have the experience of dealing with such situations, and, for the sake of
pragmatism ()کڑواہٹ, they need to come forward to help bring down the
temperature. Sadly, going by the tone of Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s speech in
the Assembly this week, such engagement is a distant dream.
THE rollback ( )رول بیکof local democracy ( )جمہوری حکومتis not a new
phenomenon in Pakistan. All political parties have an unenviable record ( ناقابل
ِ َ )تof the constitutional
)شناخت ریکارڈwhen it comes to the execution ( کمیل
provision ( )آئینی شقconcerning local governments and the sharing of power
with local representatives. The PTI administration is no exception. It is
unfortunate ( )کم بخت۔to see a party that promised to strengthen local
democracy dragging ( )گھسیٹناits feet on its commitment since coming into
power and delaying ( )دیر کرناthe holding of elections. Its reticence has also
been criticised ( )تنقید کیby the ECP. On Thursday, two Supreme Court judges
hearing the LG poll case made similarly pertinent ( )درستobservations
concerning the premature dissolution of local governments in Punjab by the
PTI government and the inordinate ( )غیر ُمعتدلdelay in holding new polls as
required by the Constitution. According to Justice Qazi Faez Isa, such an act
is tantamount ( )قدر و قیمتto “killing democracy”. “This is unconstitutional and
worse than dictatorship,” he remarked, wondering “Would you throw away
entire local government system if you don’t get favourable results tomorrow
and an opposition party sweeps ( )پھیر۔ گھماؤthe elections?” Giving his
observations on the issue, Justice Maqbool Baqar pointed out that the
government was “at war with its people”.
The remarks of the learned judges underscore the gross violation ( سراسر خالف
)ورزیof Article 140-A of the Constitution that binds provinces to establish LG
systems and devolve ( )گرانا۔political, administrative and financial
responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local bodies.
The judges through their observations also gave voice to the frustration
( )مایوسیof the people with the excuses of the ruling party ( )حکمران جماعتand
its allies for the last two years for delaying ( )دیر کرناlocal elections in Punjab,
KP and Balochistan. When the PTI dissolved the PML-N-dominated local
governments in Punjab in 2019, for example, it introduced a new local body
law, which, its authors claimed, aimed at ensuring meaningful devolution
( )وراثتof political, administrative and financial authority down to the
grassroots level. Unfortunately, the new law was used only to roll back local
democracy in the province instead of transferring the promised powers to
people elected at the lowest tier of government. This disregard for grassroots
democracy ( )جمہوریتmust be censured ()الزام یا دوکھ لگانا. With the popularity of
the PTI having suffered significantly because of poor governance and its bad
performance on the economic front, its reluctance to hold local body polls is
understandable. This observation also holds true for the PPP provincial
authorities ( )حکومت ۔ حاکمیin Sindh that are averse to devolving power ( منحرف
)طاقت. But the question is: how long can they avoid the voters?