IF there were a tutorial for how to alienate a disaffected people even further, then the government is certainly making liberal use of it. The seemingly arbitrary arrest of prominent Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen in Peshawar on Monday is not a new tactic. Previous governments and regimes in Pakistan have likewise conflated the exercise of constitutionally protected civil and political rights with crimes against the state in order to crack down on politicians and activists. Yet, instead of studying the flawed record of previous governments and rectifying matters, the current setup has failed to address the genuine concerns of citizens of this country who at the very least should be assured of a free and fair trial based on actionable evidence. The government’s tone-deaf approach is only likely to intensify the people’s estrangement, particularly following what transpired in Islamabad on Tuesday. The detention of over two dozen attendees of a peaceful protest outside the National Press Club in support of the PTM leader — including a sitting parliamentarian, women and students — was an excessive and foolhardy use of police force.

What makes these recent moves particularly counterintuitive is the fact that, as recently as Saturday, former KP chief minister and current Defence Minister Pervez Khattak extended an olive branch to the rights-based alliance, claiming that the government “want[s] to bring the PTM into the national mainstream as the country is passing through a difficult period of its history”. The government cannot be so cavalier in sending mixed signals when its conduct may prove the difference between conciliation and conflict with its own constituents. Pakistan is at a crossroads today, as a reawakening of political consciousness across society is increasingly exposing the limitations of a security-centric approach to governance. Suppression is not the answer. It is time to learn lessons from the past and acknowledge that dialogue is the only way out of this morass — and towards a future in which the rights of all Pakistanis are secured.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2020