Justice (retired) Wajihuddin Ahmed. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
No law can prevent people from disagreeing or disagreeing with the government, as long as they stay within the limits set by the Constitution, legal and policy experts have said.
While the government has openly warned people against disagreeing with its current foreign policy, arguing that it creates confusion among friendly states over Pakistan’s stated position, political and legal analysts have called the move a “gross form of repression.” They claim that such measures are often the hallmark of fascist and totalitarian regimes.
The state considers 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 swear allegiance to its policies as citizens have every right to question and oppose state policies.
Former Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed said the assertion that the Constitution does not permit citizens to question state policy, especially with regard to the country’s foreign relations, is incorrect and reflects ignorance of the fundamental principles of the Constitution.
He said people can disagree with any state decision according to their understanding, as long as it stays within the law. He added that citizens are not required under the Constitution to trust government decisions. On the contrary, he said, the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Hasan Askari, former caretaker chief minister of Punjab and senior political analyst, said it was not surprising that the government was treating dissent as anti-state. In today’s environment, 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 issues related to political differences, the government resorts to the same corrosive measures to deal with the opposition, Askari argued.
He said that “it was not a political government, so public opinion did not matter to him.”
The former caretaker Punjab chief minister noted that Pakistan should avoid getting involved in any regional conflict and maintain a neutral policy.
Journalist Salman Abid observed that the state wants to rid the country of all opposition.
He said the government believed its decision-making process should not be subject to public scrutiny and questioned who actually decided state policy, noting that even Parliament had not been considered in the matter.
He said “decisions made behind closed doors, without any public participation,” should be fully supported by the state. He added that if someone chooses to disagree with state policy, there is no clear way to express their disagreement.
He added that this shows that Pakistan has not learned anything from its past mistakes, pointing out that many policies criticized by the current government were once state policies themselves. He warned that such “oppressive measures” would only further alienate people from the state.
