Tags:
Journalism of Courage
All young democracies have teething problems of a greater or lesser degree of severity. Pakistani democracy continues to have the more painful kind judging by the bizarre goings-on there. The moves and counter-moves on the political stage must leave the average citizen feeling utterly befuddled.
They are a constitutional expert8217;s nightmare. The government backed by a massive two-thirds of the popular vote is close to being brought down because of contempt of court charges against the prime minister. The national assembly changes the law but the president delays assent and the court, in any case, will have none of it. The judge presiding over the apex court which is about to pronounce against the prime minister is found by his peers to have no legal authority to head the court. The executive proposes a new acting chief justice to break the judicial impasse; the sitting chief justice makes short shrift of the idea.
What all the actors have managed to do is put a gridlock on the system by their efforts to disempower each other. At least this allows time for sober thought before a total breakdown of the constitutional machinery occurs. There is no deus ex machina in this drama. No magic formula, no higher authority to come to their aid. Sharif, Leghari and Shah must find the solution themselves. Their personalities and mutual suspicions have much to do with the way the situation has deteriorated in the last nine months. At some point the absurdity, if nothing else, of everyone refusing to recognise anyone else8217;s authority must strike home. The farce could soon turn into a tragedy.
