IN the end, perhaps all too expectedly, it was a forlorn hope that better sense would prevail. The Canada-based Tahirul Qadri’s return to Pakistan was marked by scenes of chaos, violence, near-comical grandstanding by Mr Qadri and a thorough overreaction by the PML-N. Mr Qadri is back in Pakistan and, while his true political relevance is still minimal, he and his supporters have taken centre stage and seem determined to milk their second round in the limelight for everything it is worth. Even now, with his purported and so-called ‘revolution’ seemingly under way, it is difficult to make sense of Mr Qadri’s politics or his demands. In essence, it appears to boil down to the following: remove Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his government and replace them with a pro-establishment, undemocratic set-up simply so the real decision-makers in this country remain unelected, anti-democratic forces. Beyond that, there is little on grounds of policy that appears to so agitate Mr Qadri against the PML-N.

Amusing too is the presence of Mr Qadri’s newfound allies. Former chief minister of Punjab Pervaiz Elahi was prominent yesterday among the cohort defending Mr Qadri and lashing out against the government. And yet, those with memories longer than what Mr Elahi would perhaps like Pakistanis to have will recall what his government in Punjab did when Shahbaz Sharif attempted to return to Pakistan after years in exile in 2004. Like yesterday, much of Lahore was shut down and barricaded and an overwhelming show of force by the Punjab administration and police forced the younger Sharif brother to leave Pakistan a couple of hours after returning. What apparently was perfectly acceptable for Shahbaz Sharif in 2004 is not palatable for Mr Qadri in 2014, at least if Mr Elahi’s claims are to be paid any attention to. Somehow, while farce repeats itself in Pakistan every few years, the principals who once stood on one side of history try to wriggle across to the other side of history with a scurrilous disregard for propriety and consistency.

Yet, for all the patent self-serving theatre and faux threats individuals like Mr Qadri would like to serve up, there is also a separate fundamental reality that cannot and should not be forgotten: if anti-democrats are out to destabilise the country’s politics, it is really the government that should rise above such challenges and reinforce its democratic credentials and regard for the democratic project. Unhappily, the PML-N appears to have failed spectacularly in this area thus far. Prime Minister Sharif and the PML-N are not just the country’s elected leadership in present times, they are also the principal custodians of the democratic project and transition to democracy. Condemnable as the anti-democrats’ assault on democracy may be, democracy will only be strengthened if democracy’s custodians demonstrate restraint and unflinchingly adhere to the law and the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2014