An unsavoury episode

While it is a matter of relief that the 22-day protest sit-in, demanding the Law Minister's resignation, by a newly-formed religious political party, Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, at Faizabad interchange and related events in other parts of the country have ended, it is deeply disturbing in that the authority of the government and, by extension, that of the State stands weakened. Under a six-point agreement - brokered by a team representing the Army chief - between the government and the protesters, the minister has tendered his resignation to the Prime Minister, and the Tehreek has given an assurance that it will not issue any kind of 'fatwa' against him. The protesters have won exploiting an emotional religious issue that can encourage them to again blackmail this or future governments using the same tactic.
Unfortunately, the government failed to recognize the challenge right from the outset. The Tehreek activists were allowed to freely travel from Lahore all the way to Rawalpindi; and after they gathered at Faizabad, no attempt was made to stop their supporters from joining in or to prevent food and other supplies they needed to sustain the sit-in. Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal tried to elicit the help of ulema and mushaikh to negotiate a peaceful resolution with the demonstrators, but without success. It was only after the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court ordered the government to end the standoff that it took action, displaying confusion and rank incompetence. The police crackdown turned out to be a botched affair due to lack of proper planning. Then in panic, it came up with one frustrating move after another. On Saturday, the Army was called out to restore security in the federal capital. Also, all private TV channels were taken off air and social media platforms blocked. A clampdown on the media is simply unacceptable. It did not help the government, either, as it encouraged rumour mongering. Then following a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and attended by Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other civil and military officials, the government issued a blunderous notification, appointing Director General Rangers (Punjab) overall in charge of an operation to handle and clear the sit-it from "November 26 till December 3". None of this helped.
The military showed reluctance to intervene. According to reports, its leadership told the PM that army should be employed as a last resort, pointing out that in its order the IHC had directed the government not to use firearms during clearance operation. General Bajwa has also been quoted as advising the government to "identify and punish" those responsible for causing the chaotic situation. The 'advice' can easily be taken as yet another manifestation of the skewed nature of civil-military relations. The military is expected to follow the government orders not 'tell' it what it should or shouldn't do. Nonetheless, the government itself seemed to be unwilling to take responsibility for its own actions. The Interior Minister refused to accept any liability for the police crackdown, saying he did not oversee the action and that it was undertaken directly by the local administration and the police chief. Indeed, it is the job of the administration and the police to ensure peace. They share much of the blame for not taking timely preventive measures. But the fact that the demonstrations spread to other cities shows the problem had a much larger dimension to it and called for a commensurate response on the higher level, where it was found wanting. What has happened cannot be undone but, hopefully, it will serve as an instructive lesson, and in future, any such trouble will be nipped in the bud.