Is PTI govt on the edge of collapse?

Lahore, 29th June: Pakistan’s current government is on the verge of collapse, and can not continue for long.

According to a report by Baaghi TV, the ruling government of Pakistan, PTI has shown disappointment by taking some wrong decisions and by not acting on the policies that it had claimed initially.

A brief analysis published on a news portal, The Print recently by Vinay Kaura an assistant professor at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Jaipur gives an insight on the reasons for the collapse of the government led by Imran Khan.

The writer starts his article by stating that ‘The writing is on the wall: Pakistan’s Imran Khan govt is on the edge of collapse.’

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The obvious reasons for the government’s inefficiency could be contributed to the fact that the prevailing internal divisions in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have become so intense that it is no longer possible to keep them under wraps.

There are multiple fault lines within the government which are increasing by the day, such as the accusations by the senior government ministers on their cabinet colleagues of backstabbing, conspiracy, and breach of trust.

This whole situation leaves the PTI government vulnerable to being pushed around by the more professional and organized institution, the Pakistan Army, which has become significantly more assertive.

As per media reports, PM Khan recently had to intervene at a crucial cabinet meeting to stop his ministers from throwing allegations against one another.

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One such explosive interview was given out by the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry to the Voice of America (VOA), where he had discussed internal differences within the PTI and accused senior leaders of conspiring to remove each other; and that senior leader Jahangir Tareen hatched plans to get federal minister Asad Umar removed from the cabinet while the latter was behind the removal of Tareen from the key position of general secretary of the party, also known as the real powerhouse of the PTI.

Fawad’s words echoed the voice of the nation who had voted Imran Khan in desperate need to transform Pakistan’s destiny.

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According to a survey, “The percentage of Pakistanis who believe that the current PTI government’s performance up to this point in its tenure is worse than that of the previous government has increased from 35 percent in December 2018 to 59 percent in February 2020.”

PM Khan is struggling to bring a semblance of unity among his party members, but it is only a matter of time before this government will be brought down by the Armed forces and its own inherent contradictions.

Following are the key factors bringing the PTI government on the edge of collapse:

Deserting Allies

The obvious decline started when the incompetency of the PTI government came to light during the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. This resulted in the steep decline in public trust in the government’s capacity to rule effectively. Now Imran Khan’s allies in the government are deserting him, with many joining the opposition camp.

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The chief of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), Sardar Akhtar Mengal, has left the government, accusing the PTI of not keeping its promises. His party has four seats in the National Assembly.

Expressing his annoyance over insufficient funds for development projects in Balochistan, Mengal regretted the diminishing role of the National Assembly in policy-making, and said, “The parliament has become the speakers’ corner in Hyde Park (in London) where the members vent their frustration through their speeches but nobody is listening to them seriously.”

Mengal has since met with the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, and is believed to be planning to topple the Imran Khan government.

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Other parties such as Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), on whose support is needed by the government for its majority in the National Assembly, are likely to step up their bargaining power vis-à-vis the PTI.

Then is the prominent case of Imran Khan’s major Advisor Jahangir Tareen, who was a political heavyweight deciding tickets for the 2018 parliamentary election. His removal has left Imran Khan without someone who can manage the complex game of political alliances in a fragile government.

Furthermore, the domestic governance issues, corruption, cover-ups, abuse of power, and the declining economy of the country have weakened the public trust on PTI.

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Besides, Pakistan is currently facing multiple challenges on security and foreign policy fronts such as the Afghan peace process, military tensions with India, and American pressure to shift the focus away from China.

Giving power to the military

The army is the de-facto decision-maker on security and foreign policy issues in Pakistan, but the PTI government’s failings on domestic governance, including the COVID-19 issue, have led to many key civilian positions being infested with people from military backgrounds.

Previous civilian governments have restricted the involvement of the military in domestic policy-making issues, but the PTI government has made no such attempts. We have the instances of the appointment of the Air Marshal Arshad Malik, as CEO of the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) in October 2018.

Similarly, Lt Gen. Asim Bajwa, a former Pakistani military spokesman, was appointed in April as the new special communication adviser to the PM. He is also heading the Chinese-sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Pakistan, under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

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Consequently, military interference or hold over routine aspects of governance such as airlines, finance, railways, and media has gradually increased.

There is increased speculation that Pakistan Military is not happy with the way the national government is being run. The army always wants a large role in managing the politics in Pakistan, but it doesn’t mean that a civilian government’s inefficiency, incompetence, and venality should be used as an excuse to garner more power for itself.

The government should not be dictated by the army, civilian interests are to be given equal importance, as we all know that Pakistan has suffered too many times at the hands of the Military rule.

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