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WHILE leaders of the hybrid government prioritise foreign engagements and overseas trips, domestic challenges continue to intensify. Public discontent and unrest are mounting across the country but the ruling elite remains detached from this reality.
In much of Balochistan the writ of the state doesn’t exist. Militant violence and terrorism are spiralling out of control. In KP escalation in TTP-sponsored terrorist attacks have left people fearful and distrustful of law enforcement authorities. Last week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in the KP Assembly described actions against terrorists as “aimless” and ineffective. Unrest in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is far from over. Elections are approaching but they already lack public credibility. At the national level, the government-opposition stand-off continues to fuel a fraught political environment and deepen polarisation in the country. The PTI-led opposition has called for protests on Aug 5 to mark three years since its leader Imran Khan has been in jail.
Meanwhile a nationwide lawyers’ movement is taking shape to protest against the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments. The Lawyers Action Committee argues that these amendments have made the judiciary subordinate to the executive and gravely undermined judicial independence. It also demanded probes into alleged “excesses” committed in Balochistan, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and release of all political prisoners. Add to this ferment public frustration with the growing cost-of -living burden and power outages during peak summer and the picture is one of growing turmoil with public anger rising against the rulers by the day.
