It is good timing for showmanship by the dentist-politician as he was destined to be relegated to footnotes of history after his term ended
The cheeky dental pun goes, ‘a dentist is a man who tries not to get on your nerves’. But anyone with a smidgen of memory of visits to the dentist would know otherwise, especially with the image of the dentist with a drilling machine in their hand. However, the pain can multiply infinitely and across the spectrum, if the dentist also happens to be a politician, like the Pakistani President, Dr Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi.
Dr Alvi’s dental lineage is traced back to his dentist father who was supposed to be Nehru’s dentist. Dr Alvi has now been in recent news for inflicting unbearable pain upon the Pakistani ‘establishment’ (Pakistan Military) and their caretaker government, by wielding the constitutional drilling machine, as it were. The former senator and Presidential appointee of Imran Khan’s Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) – Dr Alvi found himself in a piquant situation as his political mentor, Imran Khan was virtually ousted by the ‘establishment’ (under his hapless nose) and a vindictive approach was undertaken to coerce the PTI into insignificance, with Dr Alvi rendered to a mute spectator to the proceedings.
As part of the ‘establishments’ ongoing agenda of tightening the noose by bestowing itself even more controlling powers with changes to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act, the bill (approved by the Senate and Parliament) was sent for Presidential assent, to Dr Alvi’s secretariat. This was the moment of the proverbial visit to the dentist’s office with his ability to make the patient uncomfortable, which the good doctor did not waste.
Dr Alvi claims to have refused to sign his assent on the bills and supposedly conveyed the same to his staff, but since he did not ink any observations or issue a press statement, then – as per the caretaker government authorities, it was ‘deemed’ approved. Interestingly, Dr Alvi did not concur with that viewpoint and in an unprecedented move that typifies the palace intrigues underway in Pakistan, the President tweeted his displeasure against his government and his staff!
“As God is my witness, I did not sign the Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws. I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times that whether they have been returned & was assured that they were. However, I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command. As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA. But I ask forgiveness from those who will be effected”. This tweet by the President has drawn passionate reactions of beholden-partisanship and conduct unbecoming of a President – but the reality is more complicated, as the ‘establishment’ has sought to undermine the PTI with the ferociousness that hardly looks democratic, or even constitutional. Expectedly, PTI has given a big thumbs-up to the Presidential dissent, whereas almost all other political forces and the ‘establishment’ have dissed him for the same, as the battlelines get clearer, before the impending national elections.
This move ends any pretence of ‘neutrality’ of the Pakistani Military towards the competing politicians as the ‘establishment’ now simply cannot accept any PTI dispensation or its role in governance, going forward. It may just be the last hurrah for the incarcerated Imran Khan who is building himself as a ‘martyr’ to the national cause. The pressure on the residual PTI bandwagon (that has survived the mass exodus of ranks) will only increase, as the sleight afforded by Dr. Alvi is not expected to go down well. The already ceremonial role of the President of Pakistan does afford immunity from the old-fashioned pressures of the ‘establishment’ till the time he holds office (till 9th September 2023), the office of Sadr-i-Pakistan will be made even more inconsequential, hereinafter.
However, the clever dentist-politician will have to brace for some creative headwinds as he has set the cat amongst the pigeons with his grandstanding and may posture himself to be constitutionally eligible for ‘extension’, as all provincial assemblies with the national assembly (electoral college for Presidential elections) are dissolved and Article 44 does mandate continuation, till a new President can be elected, which is only possible after the elections! He is unlikely to throw in the towel and given his recent move of publicly embarrassing his government and the ‘establishment’, a further showdown is inevitable. He may just draw the ‘establishment’ to undertake certain moves that discredit their claims of ‘neutrality’ and commitment to democracy towards making Imran Khan an even bigger hero in the public eye, even if Imran is disallowed from winning, by whatever means the ‘establishment’ deploys.
It is good timing for showmanship by the dentist-politician as he was destined to be relegated to footnotes of history after his term ended, as even his parent PTI would have accused him of timeserving and ungratefulness. The one-time senator and now President, has suddenly guaranteed himself of legitimate political relevance and bragging rights, with what is arguably, the most popular political party in Pakistan, still. Dr Alvi has made a long-term move but will pay with short-term consequences. Dr Alvi’s latest move has upped the ante for the ‘establishment’ to react, which it will, and the power struggle with electoral tamasha has only started.
(The writer, a military veteran, is a former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. The views expressed are personal)
