Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Thursday urged parties to resolve their differences through dialogue rather than confrontation. Speaking in a parliamentary debate in Islamabad on governor's rule and the imposition of an emergency, he said politics built on confrontation had already damaged the country, its political system and democracy.
Dialogue instead of a clash
Ashraf told parliament that politics is built on talking. "Politics is about dialogue and negotiations," he said. In his telling, that means sitting with rivals, hearing them out and looking for common ground.
He said parties should ask why talks so often fail even when everyone speaks about democracy, the Constitution and the country's future. Refusing to sit with opponents, he said, weakens the democratic process. He wanted those differences handled with patience, not treated as a reason to walk away from talks.
Governor's rule and his own term
The debate concerned governor's rule, a constitutional step that places a province under the governor, and an emergency, a constitutional power used in an exceptional situation. Ashraf said both are matters set out in the Constitution, and that democratic forces usually try to avoid them. He added that circumstances can still push a government into a hard decision, and that any use of those powers should be judged against the Constitution and the law.
Recalling his own time as prime minister, he said governor's rule was imposed in Balochistan even though the provincial government was led by a chief minister from his own party. The episode, he argued, should also be read as a failure of political attitudes, because differences were not settled through negotiation.
PTI, popularity and political space
Ashraf said the confrontational approach of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while it was in power had added to political tensions. He recalled raising concerns in 2018 about the direction of that government and its handling of parliamentary affairs.
Popularity, he said, should bring gains for the country, for people and for the party itself. A large following is not enough, he added, if a party's strategy then damages its own government and the democratic system.
He also warned against shrinking the room in which any party can operate. Limits placed on one party, he said, can in time narrow the whole political system. Referring to a point made by Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Ashraf said cutting space for one party can also close doors for other political forces. A healthy democracy, he said, needs tolerance, dialogue and respect for disagreement, not satisfaction at an opponent's difficulties.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf ne kaha ke siyasi parties apne farq baat cheet se door karein. Unhon ne kaha ke sirf larai wali siyasat se mulk aur jamhooriyat ko nuqsan hota hai. Kisi ek party ko kamzor dekh kar khush hona theek nahi, kyun ke is se poora system mutasir hota hai. Aam shehri ke liye matlab yeh hai ke hukumat aur opposition ko masle mil kar suljhane chahiye.
