THE collapse of talks between the government and opposition and sharpening of their confrontation have again put the country on edge.
asserted
collapse → put → edge
PTI leaders announced they would go ahead with their protest march on Islamabad.
asserted
they → announce → Islamabad
Federal ministers vowed to stop this and renewed threats to impose governor’s rule and emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
asserted
ministers → vow → Pakhtunkhwa
PTI leaders, in turn, warned the government against taking such a step.
asserted
leaders → warn → step
It seems that a draft agreement was drawn up but the two sides could not close the gap on key issues.
uncertain
sides → seem → issues
Both sides attributed the breakdown in negotiations to the other.
asserted
sides → attribute → other
These conflicting accounts make it hard to determine what were the precise sticking points that produced the deadlock.
asserted
that → conflict → deadlock
No further round of talks is planned.
asserted
round → plan → talks
Instead, Islamabad has again become ‘containeristan’ with barricades erected across the city to prevent protesters from entering the capital.
asserted
barricades → become → capital
It is unclear whether the threat to impose governor’s rule was a pressure tactic and brinkmanship by the government or a serious option.
uncertain
threat → impose → government
Either way, it signals the government’s willingness to wield it as a sword of Damocles over the opposition.
asserted
it → signal → opposition
One after another, federal ministers warned that if conditions demanded, governor’s rule and emergency could be declared, without, however, specifying those conditions.
uncertain
rule → warn → conditions
For his part, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a PPP leader, described governor’s rule as a “measure of necessity”, saying the president could take this action on the prime minister’s advice if the situation in the province so warranted.
uncertain
situation → describe → province
Some federal ministers tried to build a rationale for the move by accusing the KP government of governance failures and mishandling the rising wave of terrorism in the province.
asserted
ministers → try → province
One senior minister accused the PTI government of “facilitating terrorists”.
asserted
minister → accuse → terrorists
This was unfortunate as it showed the government was prepared to weaponise the terrorism issue to demonise its opponents.
asserted
government → show → opponents
Statements by ministers after the talks broke down echoed these accusations against PTI.
asserted
talks → break → PTI
Our history shows that ousting provincial governments has always ended badly for the country.
asserted
ousting → show → country
It was not the first time the present political dispensation in Islamabad threatened to impose governor’s rule.
asserted
dispensation → threaten → rule
Such threats have surfaced in the past too, especially when PTI announced a march from KP to Islamabad.
asserted
PTI → surface → Islamabad
But this time, the threats were more sustained and sounded more serious.
asserted
threats → sound → ?
Significantly, they were repeated in the talks.
asserted
they → repeat → talks
These threats recall the country’s unedifying political experience in the past.
asserted
threats → recall → past
Ousting provincial governments has a long pedigree in Pakistan’s turbulent political history.
asserted
Ousting → oust → history
Every province of the country has been placed under governor’s rule at one time or another.
asserted
province → place → time
Not long after the country’s independence, provincial governments began to be summarily dismissed by the central government in an early display of political intolerance and creeping authoritarianism.
asserted
governments → begin → intolerance
The first government to be toppled was in Punjab in 1949.
asserted
government → topple → 1949
That inglorious tradition persisted through the decades.
asserted
tradition → persist → decades
In the 1970s, opposition-run provincial governments in KP and Balochistan were dismissed by prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
asserted
governments → run → Bhutto
This had dire consequences for national unity.
asserted
This → have → unity
It weakened the federation and made a mockery of democracy.
asserted
It → weaken → democracy
It deepened alienation among smaller provinces, fuelled regional sentiment, and led to the insurgency in Balochistan in the 1970s.
asserted
It → deepen → 1970s
While its roots could be traced back to the 1950s, it intensified during the 2000s and had lasting ramifications.
uncertain
it → trace → ramifications
The country is still struggling to deal with the deleteriousconsequences of repeatedly depriving the province of legitimately elected representative governments.
asserted
country → struggle → governments
Its lessons continue to be ignored.
asserted
lessons → continue → ?
If the government is still contemplating imposing governor’s rule or emergency, it should understand that it will neither bring political calm to the province nor eliminate its political opponents.
asserted
it → contemplate → opponents
On the contrary, it will escalate the confrontation between the government and PTI-led opposition.
asserted
it → escalate → government
The KP government enjoys two-thirds support in the provincial assembly.
asserted
government → enjoy → assembly
Ousting a government having a popular mandate would be fraught with many risks.
asserted
Ousting → oust → risks
It will inevitably provoke a reaction, which even the use of force may not be able to control.
uncertain
use → provoke → force
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
