The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its concerns on Tuesday over the ongoing feud between political parties undermining democracy in Pakistan, a country already struggling with a severe economic crisis.
The coalition government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, is under immense pressure from opposition leader Imran Khan, currently the country’s most popular politician. As elections loom, tensions have escalated, with several clashes between police and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, over legal cases he claims to be baseless.
HRCP Chairperson Hina Jilani addressed these issues at a news conference in Lahore. She pointed out that while the opposition’s use of violence, the humiliation of police, and disruption of law and order were irresponsible and dangerous, the government’s retaliatory and vindictive actions were also unacceptable.
Jilani emphasized the importance of regular elections in Pakistan and criticized Imran Khan’s dissolution of the two provincial assemblies he controlled earlier in the year, calling it a dangerous and incorrect political strategy.
Jilani, a Supreme Court lawyer, stressed that the crux of the ongoing crisis is political, not legal, and urged both the opposition and the government to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue within parliament to resolve the situation in the best interests of the people of Pakistan.
In addition to the political turmoil, Pakistan is facing a dire balance-of-payments crisis that has forced the government to implement strict financial measures to revive a stalled International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program. These measures have caused the rupee’s value to plummet and inflation to soar, leaving families struggling to afford basic food items and fuel. In extreme cases, some parents have resorted to pulling their children out of school and sending them to work.
The caretaker governments in the two dissolved parliaments of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab are limited in their day-to-day operations, further complicating the situation. With the country battling political instability and economic crisis, political parties must work together to find a solution that prioritizes the well-being of Pakistan’s citizens.
