There are voices in the polity pointing fingers at both, the government and the army, for mishandling the protest in the capital. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that the recent protest was not on the matter of Khatam e Nabuwat but on Khatam e Hakumat. He also pointed out that the army should not have been a part of the solution because it creates doubts about the impartiality of the institution. While his concern may be valid, it must also be noted that the government itself decided to bring the army on board. If the government thought it best to dissolve the matter on its own, it should have stick to its original plan.
Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani has expressed displeasure over the absence of the Prime Minister (PM), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in the country during times of dishevel. He has a sound argument. While your own home is in unrest, the job of the PM is to stay behind and not fly to Riyadh and control the situation.
At the same time, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal is facing a lot of backlash with his recent decisions. Party chief, Nawaz Sharif, is also not satisfied with how the situation was handled and Chaudhry Nisar has also taken a jibe at the Minister for the botched operation. Mr Iqbal in return has formed a three-member committee under the supervision of the interior secretary to review the failure of the operation. However, it is no secret that the 1000 personnel appointed to disperse the crowd miserably failed to do so, and that is why the army had to be brought in.
While each party pointing out the loopholes in the recent debacle stands right in its stance, there is no particular individual or institution to blame. It was a collective failure on part of the army and the government. No institution involved searched for a better solution to control the situation. Each institution (government, judiciary and the military) wanted to be acknowledged for their efforts in resolving the case. However, none has been able to do that. Instead, basis of a weaker democracy have been laid out, and questions about Pakistan’s political stability are being raised by international players. This is what we have managed to get out of the situation.
The political parties at home are seeing this as a point scoring opportunity by calling for early polls, a national government, and a compensation for the losses. All of this without realising that this is bigger than that. Had they been supportive of the government, such a situation would not have developed.