Pakistan Crisis Should Be Resolved Peacefully: Daily

Tehran, Sept 1, IRNA - An English-language paper commenting on the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, suggested the opposition, the government and all political leaders to resolve the issues peacefully. Crisis broadening will only result in grave economic and political consequences for their country, added ˈIran Dailyˈ in its Opinion column on Monday. The paper was referring to Pakistani opposition leaders Imran Khan and Tahir-ul-Qadri, who have been leading daily protest rallies in the capital Islamabad over the past days, asking for the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and an overhaul of the country’s electoral system. The rallies sparked violence in which several people have been killed and hundreds others wounded after police intervened and dispersed the angry mobs by firing salvos of tear gas. Now the question is why the opposition groups call the Sharif government a fraud as his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was the winner of last year’s general elections that were confirmed as sound by domestic and foreign observers, asked the paper. Under the opposition pressure, the government has agreed to consider changes to the country’s contentious electoral system and open an independent investigation into allegations of rigging in the elections, but at the same time, said that its opponents need to drop their demands for Sharif’s resignation, noted the daily. Unless a sound decision is made to resolve the crisis, the national interests of the country are under threat. Opposition supporters and the government should avoid violence as the country is on the verge of, what the daily describes as, ˈthe worst crisis in recent years.ˈ The opposition and government should know that their country is a nuclear armed state that has been facing a Taliban-led insurgency in the northwest since the US invasion of neighboring Afghanistan in 2001. It is also in territorial disputes with India for decades. In light of the above, the opposition and the government must open dialog to find an end to the crisis because instability in Pakistan will empower pro-Taliban militants and pose further security threats to the country and weaken Islamabad’s stance against their eastern nuclear armed neighbor, the paper suggested. It seems that the leaders of the country have no choice but to form a national unity government or announce snap elections because as we know more violence will make the situation difficult for finding a lasting solution to the crisis. They should understand that if the situation worsens, way will be paved for the intervention of the army. Reports say that both sides are lobbying with the army to solicit military leaders support, but this could be a threat to civilian government of Pakistan and its fragile democracy, it said. Pakistanis have experienced several military governments in the past and know better than any one the negative impacts of a junta rule in the Asian state. And most of political parties are worried about possible intervention by the army.