The warning of Senator Raza Rabbani who is generally known for choosing his words carefully, that a plan was afoot to impose an unconstitutional setup on the country for the next two to three years has to be taken seriously. He categorically stated that dissolving the Election Commission would be an unconstitutional step. In fact, what is wrong with our collective memory is that it is a bad one. Recalling, for instance, the musical chairs manipulated during the so-called decade of democracy or even before when elected governments were toppled similarly over trumped up excuses gives weight to what Mr Rabbani is saying. There could be some forces behind the scenes who would not be pleased with seeing a civilian government complete its term in office.
The best strategy available to counter such conspiracies is to install a caretaker setup on time, and besides its selection process is done after a consensus of all the parties concerned so that it can be trusted to do its job impartially. Hopefully in the coming days and weeks, with the announcement of schedule for the elections and the instalment of the caretakers, much of the fog surrounding the political landscape would fade. It is a tightrope that the country is treading; every step has to be watched.