WHEN Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party won 1977 elections with a considerable majority, it was alleged that the elections were rigged at mass level. The opposition parties refused to accept the result and demanded fresh elections from Prime Minister Bhutto. This led to martial law.

The current political situation is no different. The same kind of tactics are being used to prepare a stage for a military coup. If this happens, which I hope will not happen, the country will go back to the stone age.

Furthermore, in the past the military received a huge amount of dollars in the form of aid from the US, and the economy boomed in the short run. But this time it may be different because we do not have any war to fight on America’s behest.

In order to avoid any unwanted circumstances, our political leaders, both in the government and in the opposition, particularly the PTI, must show maturity and resolve their political disputes in parliament and not on the streets.

Asif Ali Rahoojo
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014