Political divide deepens in Pakistan

Last week's showdown between Pakistan's government and opposition may have ended sooner than anyone expected, but it left serious unresolved problems in its wake.

- MALEEHA LODHI

It has deepened the political divide and increased polarization in the country. Tensions still run high. The use of force by the government and its establishment backers ultimately dispersed the protesters mobilized by Imran Khan's PTI, with its leaders fleeing the capital for their stronghold in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But that may only be a temporary reprieve for the ruling coalition.

To be sure, PTI failed to achieve its goal. The way its supporters retreated was a setback for the party and exposed its lack of strategy. The eruption of internal differences made matters worse. Party disarray was further reflected by the resignation of its secretary general Salman Akram Raja. But the episode also left the government damaged.

The siege of the capital ordered by a panicky government, barricades erected to prevent demonstrators from entering the city, cutting Punjab off from Islamabad, curbs on media reporting as well as internet and mobile phone service disruptions all laid bare the government's shakiness and failure to handle the situation by political means.

The crackdown on demonstrators to break up the protests involved excessive use of force that left scores injured. Several protesters were killed, which the media was banned from reporting, with hospital authorities coerced into silence. PTI leaders claimed many supporters were killed, but government ministers denied this and instead congratulated themselves for quelling the protests. Over 1,000 demonstrators were arrested in Islamabad, while a sweeping clampdown on party activists continued across Punjab. A journalist investigating the deaths of protesters was arrested on charges of terrorism and possessing narcotics.

All this undermined the government's credibility. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of the journalist, as did the Committee to Protect Journalists.