What’s in store?

Sami Mehdi

Islamabad

That the incumbent government seems to have lost its marbles is a fact. The way it has reacted to the Supreme Court verdict in favour of a beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is beyond one’s comprehension, to say the least. It has, according to media reports, decided to ban PTI and seek Article 6 proceedings against its founder Imran Khan, ex-President of Pakistan Arif Alvi and former deputy speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri. It is increasingly clear that the move is aimed at preventing PTI from emerging as the single largest party in the National Assembly following the apex court’s ruling. It is, however, not clear whether the second largest component of the ruling coalition, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has acquiesced to the government’s plan. In my view, the PPP’s approach to the situation would be different from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N’s), the party heading the ruling coalition. No doubt, the situation is profoundly complex. It is fraught with grave risks to already fragile economy in particular.