Needless turmoil
THE constitutional prescription for elections within 90 days of the dissolution of assemblies may be ill-suited to the PDM coalition’s interests, but the government — any government — has no choice but to kneel before the law.
The recent campaign launched by the PML-N-led government and its allied parties to provoke a confrontation both with and within the judiciary — a confrontation they have sought to justify on the basis of what seems to be a gross misunderstanding of the legislature’s role within the state — is unlikely to end well for the country or any of the parties involved.
These parties and their leaders seem to have committed themselves to a very dangerous path under the assumption that their actions will ultimately be endorsed by a segment of the judiciary that they see as ‘sympathetic’ to their political cause.
However, they would do well to keep in mind that the judiciary is, ultimately, an independent institution with a mind of its own.
Although it is difficult to comment too deeply on the matter given how secluded the judiciary has traditionally been from the public eye, it can be safely said that the differences between our senior judges are older and rooted in something much bigger than the current political stand-off.
For example, the rightful objections to the non-inclusion of the senior puisne judge in benches hearing important cases is, unfortunately, not a recent development nor one that concerns recent cases only.
Likewise, the debate over curtailing the chief justice’s suo motu powers, as well as his discretionary power over bench formation, has been ongoing for years. Yes, these issues have recently spilt into public view in rather messy ways, but that should not be taken to mean that the judges’ positions on their internal matters are somehow indicative of their ‘political leanings’ as well.
Therefore, the politicians who are taking cover behind the judiciary’s internal turmoil to ‘reject’ the Supreme Court’s judgement in the elections delay case should, perhaps, not throw both sense and restraint out of the window.
It bears pointing out that even within the legal community, there appears to be very little disagreement on the fact that the Constitution clearly specifies that elections do need to be called within 90 days of the dissolution of an assembly.
Therefore, while the manner in which the Supreme Court ruled on the matter may be controversial, there is no escaping its conclusion. Unless the government deliberately wishes to undermine the trichotomy of powers within the state, it should drop its resistance and allow the Election Commission to proceed as directed.
The PDM parties may not fancy their electoral chances given the current environment, but that does not mean they have free rein to pack up the political process and sabotage the state to protect themselves.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023
Chinese diplomacy
THE post-World War II global order has been dominated by the US, and to a lesser extent its European allies. It is these forces that have defined and policed the international ‘rules-based order’, particularly after the end of the Cold War. Yet this arrangement is clearly coming apart, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown. Replacing Pax Americana is a more multilateral arrangement, with China, the world’s second largest economy, playing a particularly visible role. The shock Saudi-Iranian détente, which caught most of the international community by surprise, is one example of Beijing’s increasing global diplomatic footprint. While top officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia met in the Chinese capital to talk peace last month, the process of rapprochement between the cross-Gulf rivals was cemented when Tehran and Riyadh’s foreign ministers convened in Beijing on Thursday to bring “security and stability” to the region.
Beyond the Saudi-Iranian thaw, a more active foreign policy is being pursued by Xi Jinping’s China. Beijing is reportedly involved in conflict resolution in East Africa, while it had also offered a peace plan to end the Ukraine crisis, which the Western bloc turned down. Beijing, moreover, apparently played a key role in the success of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1, before the agreement was torpedoed by the Trump administration. Are we, thus, beginning to see the dawn of Pax Sinica? Though it may be too early to say, China is certainly aiming to play a greater role globally, as a counterweight to the US-led West. Beijing’s enhanced diplomacy and economic prowess ensures that China is heard in world capitals. For example, many economic experts have begun to speak of the petrodollar’s ‘dusk’ and the petroyuan’s ‘dawn’. There are, of course, key differences between the Chinese and Western approaches to diplomacy. China is obviously not interested in promoting democracy, and wants to ensure conditions are feasible for its globe-spanning trade and commerce corridors. The West, on the other hand, makes the right noises by raising issues of democracy and human rights. But in practice, the US and its acolytes have unleashed havoc through regime change and global wars, along with supporting ‘friendly’ autocrats. At least for the larger Eurasian region, the Chinese desire for better connectivity and smooth trade could pave the way for the resolution of stubborn regional disputes.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023
Revolting words
EVEN for a political culture where rape apologists repeatedly air their misogynistic views, PPP leader Nabeel Gabol’s recent remarks have set a low bar. While being interviewed on a podcast, Mr Gabol used the analogy of rape to talk about being overpowered by the opposition and added, disturbingly, that “when rape is imminent, just enjoy it”.
In another podcast, he nonchalantly spoke of simply picking up women that caught his eye: their lack of consent is clearly implied. Mr Gabol should know that this is the language of criminals, specifically of rapists, for whom women are simply there for the taking.
To speak lightly of sexual assault in a country where rape is hugely underreported because of perceived stigma, where horrific cases of children being raped and murdered emerge on an almost daily basis, deserves to be condemned across the board. And so it was: in fact, the storm of condemnation that his words ignited on social media was not restricted to rights activists and other members of the public.
His own party called him out on his stance, while Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari also denounced his rhetoric as “repulsive”. The PPP then issued a show-cause notice to Mr Gabol asking him to explain his remarks within three days, failing which disciplinary action would be taken against him.
Mr Gabol has since issued his rather sorry excuse of an apology which is typical of those who cannot understand, even upon reflection, why their behaviour was unacceptable.
On Twitter, he followed up by decrying rights activists who, he says, did not have such harsh words for Imran Khan when he aired his views on rape. That is manifestly untrue.
Mr Khan’s blinkered musings about rape, particularly his victim-blaming, were roundly condemned by all and sundry — except for members of his own party, whether male or female.
When stereotypes about sexual violence are propagated by people who can influence public opinion, political affiliations should be irrelevant.
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023