Return to the NA
Imran Khan’s hinted return to the National Assembly in order to enforce, through parliament, his party’s demand for early elections has been enough to prompt the NA Speaker to take a hasty U-turn on his prior position on PTI MNAs’ resignations.
While the PTI should never have absconded from the Lower House in the first place, it ought to have been welcomed if it wanted to re-enter the National Assembly and pursue its political goals from within.
Parliament has been largely defunct ever since the PTI walked out and left the job of opposition to the approximately two dozen ‘dissidents’ whose loyalties are believed to be with the PDM government anyway. That was an imprudent decision which should never have been taken. But despite insisting for months that the resigned MNAs should return to parliament and rejoin the formal political process, the PDM has suddenly gotten cold feet and would rather not see them anywhere near the House.
Mr Khan’s plan appears to have been that a group of PTI lawmakers would be asked to return to the Lower House and take the leadership of PTI’s parliamentary party back from the dissident group led by Raja Riaz, who is also the current Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly.
Doing so is necessary if the PTI wants to block the dissidents from voting for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in case he is asked to take a vote of confidence, as they will be bound to whatever direction is issued by the leader of their parliamentary party. The vote of confidence could then be demanded through the president if he could be convinced that the prime minister has lost the trust of the majority. There would be grounds if the MQM walks out of the coalition, as it threatened to over the chaotic LG polls in Sindh.
The PTI may be chastised for planning to return to parliament only when it suited it to do so, but this would nonetheless be a better and more democratic route than turning by-elections into ‘referendums’ or taking extreme measures like dissolving the provincial legislatures.
However, the NA Speaker’s sudden about-turn on the PTI MNAs’ resignations, which have been pending for months, shows weakness on the other side. It has been said in these pages that an early general election seems necessary to restore political stability, which is desperately needed for the country’s economic challenges to be addressed decisively, but it should not be enforced to the detriment of any faction.
However, if both sides are going to continue their tiresome posturing instead of resolving their differences, matters can spiral out of control very quickly, with lasting consequences for national stability. Saner minds on both sides should put an end to the nonsense on display.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2023
Foreign mediation
THE proposal that foreign intermediaries can help bridge the trust gap in South Asia is not new, and in the absence of any substantial bilateral contacts such intervention can indeed prove helpful — if both parties (Pakistan and India) are willing to accept it. In this context, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the suggestion that the UAE can use its good offices to help enable a Pakistan-India dialogue on Kashmir while talking to Saudi outlet Al Arabiya. However, on Tuesday, the PM appeared to take a U-turn when the PMO clarified that talks with India can only take place after New Delhi reverses its illegal action of August 2019 with reference to held Kashmir. Perhaps the clarification came after powerful quarters in Pakistan gave the premier their feedback on his suggestion. The U-turn notwithstanding, in his media interaction, Mr Sharif had made the offer to his Indian counterpart to “sit down at the table and have serious … talks to resolve … Kashmir”, observing that while abuses were taking place in the occupied territory, only engagement could help bring peace to the region.
Where foreign facilitation in talks is concerned, while Pakistan has always been game, India has put up a rigid front, rejecting international involvement in its ‘internal’ matters, even though Kashmir remains a disputed territory. The reality is that despite this situation, both sides do listen to powerful common friends behind the scenes, and if these friends seriously offer their good offices, they should be taken up by both, even if it only leads to bilateral talks about talks. However, if efforts — bilateral or assisted by others — are to succeed, both capitals will need to show flexibility and be willing to ease their respective positions. Regarding Pakistan, there should be no confusion in the messaging, as there was with the PMO walking back on the PM’s comments. It is equally important for the effort to be led by the elected leadership, with the establishment endorsing the government’s decision. One immediate action that can be taken is the restoration of the high commissioners in both capitals. Since the August 2019 crisis, lower-level staff has been handling matters in the respective missions. Moreover, the resumption of confidence-building measures, such as easing visa restrictions, resuming cultural and sporting exchanges, etc, can hopefully lead to more substantive discussions and reduce the toxic narrative.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2023
Health workers’ strike
EVEN at the best of times, it is not easy to access quality public healthcare in Sindh. Since the past few months, conditions have become more lamentable still. The Grand Health Alliance, which represents different bodies of healthcare providers, has been protesting since October against the discontinuation of the risk allowance that was being given to them during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, OPD services at government hospitals and crucial health campaigns have been severely disrupted. On Monday, Lady Health Workers boycotted the five-day anti-polio vaccination drive aimed at 340,000 children under five in several districts of Sindh. Although NGO personnel were hired in their stead, the disruption meant that only 40pc of the target demographic was covered. OPD staff at a number of public sector hospitals, including in Karachi, that are usually thronging with patients, also went on strike for two hours. Hapless patients — many of whom travel long distances to reach tertiary care health institutions in urban centres — were left waiting with infants and small children in the bitter cold under the open sky.
The stand-off has gone on for too long. Both the government and the healthcare providers must meet halfway, because the intransigence on both sides is causing intolerable hardship for the public. There is merit in the government’s argument that the risk allowance, tied as it was to the pandemic, is no longer justifiable. However, legitimate demands by healthcare providers with reference to their remuneration, promotions, service structure, etc must be addressed, and done so with the intention of resolving the imbroglio rather than papering over the sticking points. This is a critical year in terms of health. Pakistan’s disease burden has risen significantly because of the floods. Also, Pakistan is believed to be tantalisingly close to turning the corner in its battle to eradicate polio. Our health apparatus needs to be firing on all cylinders, rather than be limping along even more than usual.
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2023