thenews.com.

pk

Broken constitutions: treason or

heroism?
Parisa Siddiqi
5-6 minutes

April 4, 2022 was supposed to be the day when the opposition

constitutionally ousted PM Imran Khan having collected the
majority of votes required to pass a vote of no confidence. However,
it turned into a nail biting, edge-of-the-seat drama which lasted five
days.
In a shocking turn of events, PM Imran Khan blocked the vote of
no-confidence, calling it a ‘foreign conspiracy’, dissolved the
National Assembly and called for early elections, triggering a
political and constitutional crisis. Almost every renowned legal
expert condemned the act, calling it unlawful and unconstitutional.
In any civilized country, an act like this would have been met by
swift and serious consequences. But in Pakistan, it was met by
applause from PM Khan’s supporters. People called the move
‘heroic’, while calling the constitution ‘garbage’. Some passionate
Twitter folks went as far as saying they spit on the constitution.
I am reminded of the events in Washington DC last year, when the-
then US president Trump spent weeks pumping his supporters with
conspiracy theories and false allegations of election fraud which
culminated in a violent insurrection on Capitol Hill.
Similar to Khan, Trump refused to accept defeat. “We will never
give up. We will never concede”, Trump said, feeding an angry
crowd on the morning of the insurrection. Trump also tried his best
to delay the transfer of power, continued to rile up his supporters
and to spread propaganda through social media campaigns. He
criticized lawmakers and senators from his own Republican Party
who refused to side with him, and hailed as heroes those who
attempted to subvert democracy by trying to stop the electoral votes
from being certified. He even called on his own vice president, Mike
Pence, to intervene.
Here is where the similarity stops. Pence wrote: “It is my
considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the
constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to
determine which electoral votes should be counted and which
should not.” Even the judges that Trump had himself appointed
refused to partake in anything so grossly unconstitutional as
interfering with democracy; their duty lay first to the country and
its constitutional order, then to their party. Khan has found plenty
of enablers.
As I see videos of some overseas Pakistanis in New York dancing
and celebrating Khan’s blatant abuse of power, I wonder how they
would have felt if the same had happened in Washington DC that
day? What if the systems were as flimsy in the US where anyone can
bulldoze their way through constitutional protections and
procedure? What if Trump’s supporters had succeeded in taking
over the Capitol that day? What if the judges he appointed, and the
congressmen and senators who supported him, all helped him
remain in power unlawfully?
Would these Overseas Pakistanis still be rejoicing? Or would they
grieve for American democracy? When they enjoy the protection of
a strong constitution and rule of law in the US, why do they not
want the same for Pakistan and the people living here?
Thankfully, the Supreme Court verdict upheld the sanctity of
Pakistan’s constitution in its landmark ruling, declaring PM Khan’s
actions illegal and ordering parliament to reconvene and hold a no-
confidence vote that could lead to his removal from office.
Mixed emotions erupted across the country. While many were
ecstatic to have the constitution restored, PTI supporters accused
the courts of selling out. Our tendency of valuing individuals over
institutions, and privileging conspiracy over conscience continues.
Today an attempt to subvert the constitution was made by a
populist leader with a cultish following, a blue-eyed boy who may
just get away with a slap on the wrist. But once we set down this
road, tomorrow the subversion could be at the hands of the not-so-
favorite ones.
General Ziaul Haq said: “what is a constitution? It is a booklet with
ten or twelve pages. I can tear them away and say tomorrow we
shall live under a different system. Today, the people will follow
wherever I lead.” The ruling of the Supreme Court has made sure
we never find ourselves in such a place again. It is a severe warning
to all future leaders of this country.
All Pakistanis, whether overseas or not, must speak out not for
particular leaders, but for democracy, constitutionalism and rule of
law.
The writer is a freelance contributor. She tweets @ParisaSiddiqi
and can be reached at: parisasiddiqi@gmail.com