PERHAPS it was an overdose of news updates or just mental fatigue resulting from processing far too many stressful developments, but in the interest of transparency and openness one must admit to having lost track of events other than the various cases before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Add to it the indignity of an early deadline thanks to the lack of clarity on when exactly Eid will be and you’ll realise these lines are being written on the eve of yet again an important hearing in the country’s apex court before a bench comprising the familiar three faces who have heard most of the political cases in recent months.

The April 4 judgement of this very bench mandated elections to the Punjab provincial assembly on May 14 this year but that date seems to be slipping away from everyone’s grasp as, with a little over three weeks to go, none of the paraphernalia, from polling staff to the security forces to the funds required by the Election Commission of Pakistan, seems to be in place or anywhere near being there.

In any case, while all eyes including this columnist’s remained fixed on the court battles, all of which seem to be pointing at a possible confrontation between the government and the apex court judges aligned with the chief justice’s point of view, there were developments elsewhere too.

The date seems to be slipping away from everyone’s grasp.

At the last meeting of the National Security Committee of the Cabinet there was an extensive briefing on the security situation. What was said about the commitments of the security forces spanning the next several months seemed to suggest their non-availability for any other role.

This message was reinforced when the army chief and the DG ISI made an appearance to brief the National Assembly about the security challenges facing the country. Around this time, PPP leader Asif Zardari initiated a debate within the governing PDM coalition on the need for dialogue with the Imran Khan-led opposition PTI.

Initially, reports from the PDM camp spoke of a difference of opinion, with JUI-F led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N opposing any dialogue with Imran Khan because the latter was ‘untrustworthy’. On the other hand, the PPP, some smaller parties and independent MNAs favoured talks as that was the ‘democratic norm’ to follow.

Suddenly, Jamaat-i-Islami also appeared on the scene as a mediator, first meeting the government leaders in Lahore’s Model Town and then going over to Zaman Park to gauge the response there.

Soon, one heard of PPP nominating its senior leaders as members of a negotiating team, followed by the PTI making a similar announcement. It was against this backdrop that on Monday night news broke of a security briefing to the three-member bench in the chief justice’s chambers.

On Wednesday morning, the apex court entertained a ‘citizen’s’ petition which followed Monday evening’s detailed ‘in-chamber briefing’ by the defence secretary and the directors-general of the Inter-Services Intelligence and Military Operations directorates.

This focused on, as the chief justice said in court on Wednesday, the heavy commitment of the security forces. While lauding the DGMO for a lucid presentation, the chief justice expressed regret that it came so late, ie, after their April 4 judgement which the court couldn’t step back from at this stage.

What wasn’t mentioned was that apparently such a briefing was offered to the court before the April 4 ruling but the judges turned it down. Without this backdrop, it would have been difficult to say where Wednesday’s petition suddenly came from as it wasn’t even on the ‘cause list’ till the evening before. Journalists making inquiries about it in various offices, including reportedly the registrar’s, were offered a tell-tale ‘no comment’.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the court issued notices to all political parties to send their representatives to the court on Thursday and “if the parties can agree on one date for elections” (to the national and the provincial assemblies) then perhaps the court could find ‘enough leeway’ to accommodate them. One can be sure this leeway will conform to the Constitution.

“Alhamdulillah, had an extensive discussion with Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman today. I am optimistic that party heads meeting after Eid will make positive progress. The issues of one day election across the country & modalities for dialogue with opposition will be finalised by then IA.” This was tweeted by PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari late on Wednesday after his visit to Dera Ismail Khan.

By the time you read these lines, events will have overtaken what is penned here. Let’s hope that would make for a true Eid Mubarak!

The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
abbas.nasir@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2023