The current political turmoil in the country has been the focal point of political debate for several weeks now. A lot of debate is focused on the possible outcome of this confrontation. Much of the intelligentsia is deliberating upon the possible source of the chaos and whether the entire spectacle is orchestrated or a genuine political crisis. Caught up in these issues, the long term, post- crisis scenario, is being neglected. An important aspect of changing dynamics of Pakistani politics has been thrown into sharp relief by this entire episode. New fault lines have emerged on political landscape and the battle for Punjab is going to be fought.
One can expect the crisis to linger for years to come. Both PML-N and PTI are now deeply embedded in the system and are here to stay as powerful political forces. Given the political realities of Pakistan, this leads us to conclude that the turf war, started in the wake of recent rise of PTI as Punjab’ dominant counterbalance to PML-N, is not subsiding any time soon.
To put it simply, if PTI is on the streets today, it might be PML-N tomorrow, so where does this end? It might become necessary for powers that be to broker a power sharing formula between the two parties. Long standing debate for a separate province of southern Punjab may then be reignited. It could lead to a chain reaction, with voices for different administrative units growing louder and becoming more vigorous. Ultimately it seems we are heading towards a shakeup of power structure.
USMAN ZIA,
USA, August 25.