THE political scene in Islamabad changed dramatically yesterday when the opposition allowed electronic media free access to Sindh House to meet dissident PTI parliamentarians. This was an attempt to prove that the legislators had not been abducted, or bribed, as claimed by the government, but had come of their own volition as they feared hostile action by the ruling party in the run-up to the no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly.

These are valid fears: the threat of violence, especially after the recent episode at the Parliament Lodges and the government’s veiled warning of physical intimidation, has only grown. But given our unsavoury history of vote-buying and horse-trading, it is difficult to rule out the possibility of the offer of some inducements — cash or a seat in the next election — being made by the opposition to the dissidents. It is a trend that has gained momentum since the 1990s.

More recently, the PTI faced allegations of vote-buying at the time of the formation of the government when south Punjab independents were ‘persuaded’ by a then loyal Jehangir Tareen to back the party. Meanwhile, parties like the battered MQM were apparently pressured by certain non-political forces to support the PTI.

Concerns of horse-trading aside, it is, prima facie, clear that none of the politicians are being kept there against their free will under the ‘protection’ of a large posse of the Sindh Police’s Special Security Unit.

If the opposition had something to hide, or if these parliamentarians had been ‘abducted’ as claimed by the government, the media would not have been allowed inside the premises to interview these politicians. Though it is still unclear how many PTI MNAs are currently in Sindh House, the reported figure is in excess of 17 — one politician claimed there were 24 — a significant number that will facilitate the opposition’s efforts to oust the PM.

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Even though the PTI ministers said the PM intends to fight the no-trust motion, one thing is clear: Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the House, with a large number of PTI MNAs defecting to the opposition camp.

While one can understand why Mr Khan is unprepared to accept defeat at this point, he must not heed recommendations to impose governor’s rule in Sindh or call for belligerent tactics. His meeting with the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser shortly after the appearance of the PTI dissidents on TV screens was uncalled for as it made the speaker even more controversial than he had become after the submission of the notice of the no-confidence motion.

Crossing constitutional boundaries in such a situation or using the state machinery or resorting to violence to prevent lawmakers from voting according to their will can have serious repercussions for our fragile democracy, especially when some elements are already urging non-political forces to intervene to ‘save the situation’.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2022