Pakistan's Supreme Court has now stepped in to restore sanity in the country. In these past few days, it became increasingly obvious by the minute that the 13-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, together with the country's powerful military, was only adding fuel to fire in a gathering crisis. As for parliament, dominated as it is by loyalists of the governing coalition, silence spoke loud about its ineffectiveness as an institution.
And now that the Supreme Court has taken matters into its own hands through ordering the immediate release of former prime minister Imran Khan from the custody of the National Accountability Bureau and directing him to respond to the legal issues generated by his politics, the question is one of where the state of Pakistan goes from here. Khan's release has certainly cheered his fan base, but it has also left the government embittered. Elements in the coalition have already registered their displeasure over the release of a man they consider a criminal.
That does not worry the judiciary, which in recent years has gained a reputation for its consistent demonstration of independence in a country where politicians and the military have remained mired in controversy. The SC move to have Imran Khan freed will certainly not have pleased the military. The ISPR statement only a day before the former prime minister was seized in a commando style raid from the premises of the Islamabad High Court left a bad taste in the mouth. Worse, for all its attempts to convince people that it does not meddle in politics, the army's reluctance to inquire into the allegations against a senior general by Khan, are a clear indication that the army is not willing to loosen its grip on the state.
Imran Khan's release does not cancel out the many charges brought against him in recent weeks. Due process in the matter of the courts handling the cases against him is what the Supreme Court expects; and Khan will be doing a heap of good in exhausting the legal process in order to free Pakistan of the mess his brand of politics and the short-sighted attitude of his rivals have pushed it into. Khan's followers in the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and outside it in these past few days have wreaked havoc in the country, going so far as to break into cantonments to protest the detention of their leader. That is regrettable.
Khan will need to have himself and his supporters exercise restraint. As for the army, wisdom ought to underscore its behaviour from here on, given that Pakistanis have now made it clear that the soldiers must get out of the political scene. By far the biggest thought in Pakistan today is for general elections to be held if a return to normal conditions is the goal. The PTI without question has seized the public imagination and, given transparent and unfettered voting, could well ride back to power. That is the fear of the current ruling dispensation. But beyond the fear comes the need for a return to sanity.
And sanity can return in Pakistan with the announcement of an election schedule, with the political parties taking a good many steps back to reassure people that they mean for Pakistan to make its way to proper democratic pluralism. The polarisation so evident today needs to give way to a new order, one that will have no room for backroom intrigues and horse-trading.
And, yes, there is the economy which needs fixing. Bad politics is always a recipe for economic disaster.
Syed Badrul Ahsan is Consultant Editor, Dhaka Tribune.
