- Moving towards a new normal
The opposition has lost steam and has decided to put the issue of civilian supremacy on the back burner for the present. The U-turn by the two major opposition parties has led to sometime open and sometime symbolic intraparty protests. The differences in the case of the PML-N are more pronounced than in that of the PPP. It is being maintained by those supporting realpolitik that Nawaz Sharif’s hardline was out of sync with the ground realities as it required sacrifices for which the party workers were not ready. While parliamentary leadership of both the PML-N and PPP decided to vote for the Army Act Amendment Bill, a handful of hardliners from both parties absented themselves during voting in the Senate. With the JUI-F and JI legislators boycotting the session, the grand opposition alliance formed soon after the 2018 elections is dead as a dodo.
The wizard’s wand is now guiding the opposition and the PTI to a new normal. After getting the Army Act Amendment Bill passed to legitimize the extension given to the COAS, attempts are afoot to bring the treasury benches and the opposition to work together to jointly legislate on other issues seen crucial by those who matter. These include legislation for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and members of the Election Commission and formulation of a new NAB law. To create an environment conducive to joint legislation, the government has been greenlighted to bring back the nine Ordinances to Parliament for passage as laws through parliamentary process.
The government and opposition are scheduled to take up the issue of NAB laws next week. Despite Imran Khan calling upon NAB to use harsher methods against political opponents, the way NAB has wielded its autocratic powers had elicited strong criticism from the business community, bureaucracy and politicians. Recently a Supreme Court judge questioned NAB’s policy of arresting first and investigating later and the CII declared some of NAB’s provisions against Sharia. Seeing that decisions on the issue were being made elsewhere, a frustrated PM has already stopped his sickeningly repetitive mantra of ‘No NRO to anyone’. It is time the opposition and the government agreed on a more judicious NAB law.
