Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
People cannot be prevented from disagreeing with or dissenting from the government under any law as long as they stay within the limits set by the constitution, legal and political experts have said.
As the government has openly warned people against deviating from its current foreign policy, arguing that it creates confusion among friendly states about Pakistan’s stated position, political and legal analysts have termed this a “crude form of repression”. They say such measures are often a hallmark of fascist and totalitarian regimes.
The state treats dissent as the first stage of mutiny and therefore spares no effort to suppress it, they said, adding that the government cannot force its people to pledge allegiance to its policies as citizens have every right to question and dissent from the state’s policies.
Former Supreme Court Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed said that the contention that the constitution does not allow people to question the state’s policies, especially regarding the country’s foreign relations, is wrong and reflects ignorance of the basic principles of the constitution.
He said that people can disagree with any decision of the state according to their understanding as long as they remain within the framework of the law. He added that citizens are not bound by the constitution to trust the government’s decisions. On the contrary, he said, the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
Former caretaker Punjab chief minister and senior political analyst Hasan Askari said it was not surprising that the government is treating dissent as anti-state. Under the current setup, he said, the question of what is legal and what is not becomes largely irrelevant. He added that, unfortunately, those in power can get away with almost anything.
Even in matters related to political differences, the government is resorting to the same caustic measures to deal with the opposition, Askari maintained.
He said, “this was not a political government, so public opinion does not matter to it”.
The former interim Punjab Chief Minister noted that Pakistan should avoid involvement in any regional conflict and maintain a neutral policy.
Senior journalist Salman Abid noted that the state wants to rid the country of any opposition.
He said the government believes its decision-making should not be subject to public scrutiny and questioned who actually decides the state’s policy, noting that even Parliament was not brought into the matter at hand.
He stated that “decisions made behind closed doors, without public input”, are expected to be fully backed by the state. He added that if someone chooses to disagree with state policy, there is no clear way to express that dissent.
He further said that this shows that Pakistan has learned nothing from its past mistakes, noting that many policies criticized by the current government were once state policies themselves. He warned that such “repressive measures” will only further alienate people from the state.
