When in power the opposition parties did not strive to develop working relations with one another. Three years in power and the PTI government has gone to the extreme of having the worst ever relations with the opposition. The joint opposition has now announced to boycott the presentation by National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf on national security policy.
The foremost objection raised by the joint opposition is that the Prime Minister has himself devalued the institutions by remaining absent from their important meetings. PM Imran Khan dodged a National Security Committee (NSC) moot last month; and was conspicuously absent from the previous sessions of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security; he even failed to attend an important national security huddle to review the situation in the Indian Illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on the frivolous excuse that the Leader of Opposition would also be present in the briefing.
Another reason given for the boycott is the credibility of NSA Moeed Yusuf who, according to a senior opposition leader, had nothing to do with Pakistan two years ago and was now supposed to brief some of the seasoned parliamentarians. What is more the NSA doesn’t have the authority to take any decisions. In the previous NSC meetings, the top military leadership had briefed the lawmakers from the Senate and the National Assembly on matters pertaining to national security, foreign affairs and internal and external challenges faced by the county.
The opposition maintained that the in-camera briefing would merely provide the government another chance to put up a show that would have nothing to do with the critical issues facing the country today. The best way was to take the matter to Parliament with the government explaining and defending its national security policy. The govt avowedly didn’t do s6 because it was afraid of exposure and loss of face.
The direction the confrontation is taking is harmful for the country. The PM needs to realize that his refusal to sit with the opposition, and instead steamrollering important decisions, would lead to a no-holds-barred fight. The opposition too must not refuse offers for talks, especially if they come from the PM. Important decisions related to the next elections, national security and the economy need to be taken through mutual consultations, with Parliament playing a meaningful role.
