Pakistan: Awaiting reconciliation

 

The Lahore High Court ordered to stop the ongoing police operation in Zaman Park and adjourned the hearing while the Islamabad High Court rejected the warrant cancellation request and asked Imran Khan to submit an affidavit in the trial court. After the decision of the Lahore High Court, the fighting that has been going on for two days has stopped and there has been an opportunity to enable communication for reconciliation. The issue of the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Zaman Park has become a cause of new tension in the country.

Tehreek-e-Insaf activists have held separate protest marches and demonstrations in Peshawar, Karachi, Rawalpindi and other cities. The court hearing the Toshakhana case has ordered the arrest and production of Imran Khan, the IG Punjab says that the police only did their duty. The IG Punjab committed terrorism against the resisting workers. Ordered to register cases under the provisions, on which FIRs were registered against many workers. In this whole situation, the tone of the government ministers seems to be spreading provocation instead of solving the issue. If the government had advised its party leaders and ministers to exercise restraint during legal proceedings, the level of tension could have been kept low. The tragedy is that the government and PTI have turned the political battle into a battle between two Bedouin armies. In this fight, since the law enforcement agencies are constitutionally obliged to obey the orders of the government, the impression of suppressing the people is constantly emerging. The military leadership has been playing a conciliatory role in such matters, but the new military leadership has decided to limit itself to professional matters, after which the courts are increasingly hearing disputes. South Africa, mired in ethnic violence, was fortunate to have figures capable of building a consensus on reconciliation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They often called for the concept of reconciliation to be broadened. His work was typical of what might be called a maximalist formulation, where reconciliation was introduced as the renewal of social and personal relationships through future repentance and forgiveness.

Religious morality provided the basis of the South African society.  New theories have highlighted religious sources to explain the understanding of political change. All the leaders who seem to be important in today's political scene recognize the reference to religion. They can be advised to abandon vindictive behavior.  Reconciliation refers to a condition of non-violent, mutually acceptable coexistence where former enemies perceive each other as fellow citizens. Reconciliation debates often focus on the appropriateness of trials, truth commissions, official apologies, memorials, reparations, amnesties and other institutions and policies to resolve past conflicts. It shows the way of dialogue with each other with the agenda. Later on, the points on which consensus is reached are implemented in the form of constitution and regulations. Reconciliation generally refers to the restoration of social, political and economic relations between former rivals.

At times, talk of reconciliation can be misleading because there is no morally acceptable precondition for reconciliation to guide us. It is clear that the situation in Pakistan has reached such a level that it becomes necessary to follow this model of reconciliation. Imran Khan demands that new elections be held in the country, the government says that law and order and the financial situation are not good, they cannot hold elections. PDM leaders were targeted for revenge. Imran says that the constitutional condition of ninety days should be fulfilled, the ruling party says that the cases against Nawaz Sharif should be finished first. The major part of all these points of disagreement is related to legal restrictions. This is the main reason for the agitation. The country can end the tension, but for that, the supremacy of the constitution and the law should not be accepted instead of the will of the political leaders. We have to help those personalities who play an important role in ending the differences. Warring politicians will have to stop the series of statements based on hatred against each other. The economy and politics of Pakistan will start to recover on the day when the axis of politics will be the interest of the state. It would be better to start a serious process of reconciliation.

Extending an olive branch to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan again, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasised that all political forces will have to sit for dialogue to rid the country of the ongoing political and economic crises. He said the government would hold the general election on its scheduled time as per the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The prime minister said that the threat of Pakistan defaulting on its debt was now over as the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be finalised soon. “All political forces will have to sit together to take the country forward,” the premier said while addressing a meeting held with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at the PM House.