Is Mohsin Naqvi the right choice for caretaker CM Punjab?

“By appointing Naqvi, the ECP has exposed itself”

Fawad Chaudhry, PTI Leader

By appointing Mohsin Naqvi as Caretaker Chief Minister, the Election Commission of Pakistan has once again proved its partisan role as everyone knows the animosity of Mohsin Naqvi against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

We will not only protest against this unjust appointment but also challenge it in the court of law, as we are not expecting any good from a person whose political affiliation with PPP and PML-N is known to all.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan has also blamed Mr Naqvi of being instrumental in the regime change operation against our government, so we can’t expect impartiality from him.

Just a day after his appointment Mohsin Naqvi has started bringing back the people in administration and police on key positions in Punjab who had been involved in massive crackdown on PTI workers and leaders when we had launched the Long March on May 25 last year.

We have even conveyed to Mohsin Naqvi to stay away from it but he was brought in with a plan to influence the upcoming elections. However, we will not let them do all this. I caution all those playing in the hands of PDM not to become part of any unconstitutional move against PTI, because they have to pay the price and they would be proceeded against under the law and constitution when PTI will return back to power.

The caretakers stay in power is just for a short span of three to four months and they have to be made answerable for their wrong deeds, be them the part of ECP hierarchy or those who will become part of the caretaker setup in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa.

Our legal team is looking into the options of moving superior courts against Mohsin Naqvi as he had done plea bargain with NAB and, under the law, is not eligible to hold public office.

The ruling PDM government is creating political chaos in the country and want to delay the elections which would further aggravate the economic meltdown, causing massive loss to the country. I think the only solution to both political and economic uncertainty in the country is holding of free, fair and transparent elections.

Right now we are bracing for elections on 65 per cent seats of both federal and provincial legislatures which will require around 50 billion rupees. And in case the PDM insists on holding elections for the two provincial assemblies and by-polls on around 125 National Assembly seats, which fell vacant after the acceptance of PTI MPs resignations in the past few days, then once again the country will have to go for elections in the other two provinces — Sindh and Balochistan — as well as for the National Assembly polls seven or eight months later which would again be requiring huge resources.

I suggest PDM government to review their decision and go for general elections as demanded by PTI, which will bring both political and economic stability in the country.

“The ECP-PTI rift does not augur well for the country”

Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, PPP Leader

In the given circumstances, where political polarisation is at its peak, I can’t see any chance of betterment and we are heading for both political and economic turmoil where things will become even tougher for the common people.

Political tension is soaring with every passing day, and the way things are unfolding in Punjab, one can’t predict where things will be heading to. But the outcome of this tug of war between PDM and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Inaf will surely be dangerous.

In Pakistan one can only predict about the past and you can’t predict what will happen or where things will head. But for sure, things are not turning any better because the political leadership both in the government and opposition is not prepared to give way and tolerate each other.

Actually, we don’t have true democracy in Pakistan with civilian supremacy. You can refer to the first three years rule of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto or his whole stint in power, where we had experienced a complete civilian supremacy. But after that either we had remained under a dictatorial rule or controlled democracy with political leadership’s powers greatly compromised and influenced at the hands of certain quarters.

Over the period, the face of democracy was completely distorted in Pakistan and now only rich and the affluent class can participate in politics. For doing politics in this system you need bullet proof vehicles, political abodes in all the major cities and plenty of money to cater for highly commercialised political process. An ordinary middle class person can’t do politics and take part in the electoral process because the whole process is made extremely costly.

In true democracy, the focus of all the activities is on the welfare of public at large but here in Pakistan, service to masses is least on the priority list, which can be judged well by seeing the plight of poor masses who are struggling for their survival. The system is only protecting the rights of the affluent and ruling class and no serious efforts are made to change the lot of common people, who are struggling for their survival. In its present form and format the political dispensation is doing nothing good for the people of Pakistan.

The current dispute between the PDM government and PTI over the appointment of Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab will do no good to the system, as this controversy will ultimately lead to the rejection of the election results, if they are against PTI, and will ultimately add to the political uncertainty in the country.

“Naqvi’s appointment is an attempt to increase political tension”

Amir ul Azeem, JI Leader

No doubt political polarisation in the country is increasing but the real issue is that it is being escalated to level ground for some unconstitutional move to block the way of smooth conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.

The appointment of a controversial Caretaker Chief Minister and taking hostile position against the opposition parties’ members seemed part of this strategy.

This deliberate attempt to increase political tension may lead to imposition of financial emergency in the country or the PDM government can attempt to delay the elections in the wake of holding digital census and house count due in March this year. The chances of third party intervention and wrapping up of the whole political dispensation can’t be ruled out.

But I think at this stage if elections are put off or delayed for indefinite period, then the results of such an unconstitutional move will be disastrous for the country. Right now the main political players in the arena—Pakistan Democratic Movement and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf—both are not prepared to tolerate each other and both of them wanted to come in power by hook or by crook. PDM wanted to cling to power and extend their stay in power for longer period while on the other hand PTI wanted elections at all costs and to achieve this target they had even dissolved their governments in two provinces to add to the existing political turmoil.

First of all Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf should have avoided resigning en masse form the National Assembly. But later on, when they realized their mistake and decided to return back to the Parliament to play their constitutional role, the PDM should have facilitated their return to bring down the rising tension on the political firmament of the country. Instead, the Speaker National Assembly accepted the resignations and further aggravated the political tension.

I think both PTI and PDM leadership is not prepared to accommodate each other and both sides want to grab power at all costs. This attitude on part of national leadership across the spectrum is detrimental to democracy and can result into some major setback to the political dispensation in the country.

The Jamaat-i-Islami leadership has time and again asked the politicians to give space to each other as we know that their infighting will result in loss to the democratic order in the country like we had seen in the past when due to the inept handing of situations by politicians resulted in the military interventions.

So I think instead of leg pulling and political victimization the political parties should work together in evolving a mechanism to ensure holding of free, fair and transparent elections in the country which in turn will bring political and economic stability in the country.