Pakistan came into existence as a constitutional democracy but for most of its 77 years the country has not lived up to these traditions. The omnipotent and omnipresent military establishment has ruled the country, either directly or indirectly. The military establishment has periodically favored a certain party or leader and then in a few years chosen another one, banning or suppressing others.
The recent announcement by the government to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) is thus not new. It is simply a repetition of past policies. It is, however, tragic that the civilian government has gone along with this decision. Every political party forgets that what goes around comes around.
As the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) noted in its statement it “is shocked by the government’s decision to ban the PTI. Not only is this move in flagrant violation of party members’ right to association under Article 17 of the Constitution, but it is also an enormous blow to democratic norms, especially when the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the PTI is a political party. Moreover, such a move reeks of political desperation, given that it follows closely on the heels of the apex court’s ruling that has effectively made the PTI the single largest party in the National Assembly after making it eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities.”
The HRCP demanded “that this unconstitutional decision be withdrawn immediately. If pushed through, it will achieve nothing more than deeper polarization and the strong likelihood of political chaos and violence.”
In conclusion the HRCP warned, “No government can afford to have a selective memory and conveniently forget the consequences of banning or demonizing political parties lest it find itself on the receiving end of such measures.”
