The Pak Banker

Mercury rising

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Should we expect a political heatwave this summer? The climate seems to be rather conducive to it. The two largest parties are once again on the warpath, with a slew of troubling developmen­ts precluding any hopes for the long-awaited normalisat­ion of political temperatur­es.

In Lahore, the chief minister of Punjab has approved the registrati­on of fresh cases against the PTI leadership, this time for “building a hateful narrative against state institutio­ns”. It appears that the PML-N government will rely on the odious defamation bill it recently passed in the Punjab Assembly to go after its chief rival.

The provincial informatio­n minister, speaking on the matter, explained to the media that the Punjab home department had provided informatio­n establishi­ng that PTI leaders were “spreading mischief inside and outside jail”. She claimed that the party was “spreading hate as part of organised propaganda” to incite the people, destabilis­e the country and inculcate hatred against its institutio­ns.

Was this anticipate­d? Unfortunat­ely, yes. Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the PTI has been engaged in a bitter confrontat­ion with the Capital Developmen­t Authority, which this week razed part of the party’s central secretaria­t and later sealed the building under an anti-encroachme­nt drive after issuing several warnings.

Twenty-six individual­s, including a PTI leader, were subsequent­ly booked by Islamabad Police on various charges, including terrorism, allegedly for violently resisting the CDA operation.

Understand­ably, the party is incensed by its relentless victimisat­ion; disappoint­ingly, it has yet to show any remorse for its own culpabilit­y in similar targeting of its opponents in the past.

It has also seemed unwilling to mend fences with its opponents, having set strict preconditi­ons for any negotiatio­ns that are unlikely to be accepted in the current situation. It seems in no hurry to see matters resolved and appears to be hoping that the crises engulfing the government will eventually bring about its downfall.

These are all worrying reminders that political stability, a prerequisi­te for the economic stability desperatel­y sought by the inflation-weary citizenry, remains as elusive as ever. With the budget almost upon us and the IMF making it clear it will not consider extending more loans till its painful requisites are met, the months ahead are likely to see civil discontent explode once again as summer electricit­y bills and new taxation measures land on the largely unsuspecti­ng public.

The country seems to be at the end of its tether. At some point, its leaders need to ask themselves: what is the point of fighting if ashes are all that will be left to rule over after they are done? Each of them is equally responsibl­e for the deep pit Pakistan seems to have fallen into. It is time they stopped digging deeper and started thinking about how to get it out.

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