- Will PTI’s understanding with establishment last long?
The country lost two courageous and outspoken women, Asma Jahangir and Madeeha Gauhar, who stood up to be counted whenever it came to defending pluralistic values and human rights. Among the prominent deceased was Mushtaque Yousufi, admired for his wit and sense of humour by all who understood Urdu.
It was also a tumultuous year marked by the rise of populist politics, widespread accusations of corruption, unprecedented use of social media for character assassination, fake news and the trend to shoot first and ask questions later. The trend did not leave even the NAB and FIA untouched, thus creating doubts about the accountability process.
It was also a year of suo moto notices, with the SC taking up a very wide variety of social issues on its own and a proactive CJ visiting jails to find if the well-connected were being given preferential treatment.
Long before Nawaz Sharif was sentenced, a widespread media campaign was launched against him to make him look guilty in the eyes of the people. Had the media trial been stopped right at the beginning this would have made the trial look fairer. When PML-N candidates were pressurised to return party tickets and change loyalties, questions were bound to be asked about the legitimacy of the elections.
Shahbaz Sharif, PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in NA was called by NAB in connection with one case and then arrested in another. The ensnaring led the PML-N to complain of political victimisation.
Many who had welcomed the ongoing accountability hoping that it would lead to a cleaner society were disappointed when they found that it lacked transparency and even-handedness. A whole category of those facing apparently fool proof cases of corruption were either ignored or their cases put on the backburner.
The cases against the PPP leadership were also opened amidst a media trial. The JIT chief who being an FIA officer is under the interior ministry asked the cabinet to put 172 accused on the ECL, including the Sindh chief minister, exposing how the government was manipulating the investigation departments under its control to influence the accountability process. Meanwhile cases against senior PTI leaders remain on the back burner. There is a perception that these could be put on the fast track if the party was to deviate from the policy dictated to it.
Economy has suffered most during the last four months of the PTI rule. The finance minister claimed that devaluation ‘coupled with other policies’ will produce positive results for the ailing economy. What one saw happening was a rise in inflation and an increase in the quantum of foreign debts. Last month Fitch Ratings downgraded Pakistan’s long-term debt rating to B-Negative. The county is being run on the basis of the few foreign loans the government could manage to get. Meanwhile lack of clarity about Pakistan joining the IMF programme is adding to uncertainty among businessmen who are also reluctant to invest for fear of NAB enquiries.
2018 was a bad year for media freedom which is not a good omen for democracy. Crude methods of yore have been replaced with more formidable albeit more discrete techniques of media control. Meanwhile NGOs that provided jobs to thousands are being told to pack up amidst domestic and foreign protests.
Relations with neighbouring countries other than China have remained less than cordial under the PTI rule also. The way a shortsighted close aid of the PM talked about freezing the CPEC for a year and now wants to cancel FTA with China creates a perception of relations losing some of their warmth.
The only positive thing is that after more than a decade the government and establishment are on the same page. What remains to be seen is whether these will remain tension free in 2019 also. The government has failed to prove it had prepared a sound economic policy before coming to power that could, among other things, fulfill the expanding demands of the security apparatus. Imran Khan does not have enough votes to amend the 18th amendment and cut down the provinces share in resources. What is more he is afraid of unpopularity in KP, Balochistan, Sindh and even Punjab in case provinces’ share was reduced. Unless the PTI government is able to do what it is supposed to its ties with those who matter could come under strain.
