P.M. Sharif addresses the National Assembly on April 4, 2023
Pakistan’s ruling coalition has categorically rejected a three-member bench decision of the Supreme Court ordering elections for the Punjab Assembly on May 14, declaring an intent to resist the ruling at all forums, including Parliament, where a resolution was passed in support of this position. Some among the parties comprising the government have also floated the possibility of filing references against the three judges on the bench—Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar. Confirming the support of all parties in the government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a meeting of leaders of the coalition partners: “Members of the National Assembly had debated the issue in the ongoing session and a resolution had already been passed, while another resolution would be tabled in the House.”
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has described the ruling coalition’s plans as an attempt to avoid elections, with party chief Imran Khan urging supporters earlier this week to be ready for agitation to ensure polls take place as scheduled, “otherwise neither history nor future generations will pardon this generation for not waging jihad against the forces undermining the rule of law.” The developing face-off portends more trouble in coming days for a country already reeling from an economic crisis partly attributed to political uncertainty. Khan’s language, in particular, foreshadows violence that will make it even harder for Islamabad to revive an IMF loan facility seen as key to avoid default. In his speech, Khan also raised the specter of civil war, alleging that PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari and PMLN’s Nawaz Sharif were trying to “create a rift between the PTI and the establishment, which might repeat the events of 1971.”
Comparing the current situation with the 1971 collapse of the state is ominous and highlights the extent of the polarization within Pakistan when it most needs “help from friends.” Khan’s repeated evoking of the former Army chief similarly raises concerns of a “reaction” from the armed forces, which has abstained from showing its cards so far. “The current civil and military imbalance has to change if we want Pakistan to get out of this mess. You cannot have a system where the prime minister has the responsibility but does not have the authority to implement his policies because that authority is shared with the military,” Khan said, indicating the civil-military imbalance that is a perennial problem in Pakistan could figure large in the political scenario that unfolds in the days to come.