Addressing a public meeting in Muzaffarabad a couple of months ago, where he had gone to launch the AJK chapter of his party, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif took issue with the 'friendly opposition' accusation some tend to hurl at his party, saying he is Pakistan-friendly not government-friendly.
That may come across as a rhetorical assertion, but considering our checkered political history it holds great factual relevance. For more than half of its life, Pakistan has been ruled by military adventurers. Democracy was never allowed to strike a deep root.
Nawaz Sharif clearly has learnt a lesson from his past experiences. Creditably for him he has maintained that his party would not allow derailment of the present democratic system, and that it would never become a participant in a game of musical chairs - an obvious reference to the establishment-inspired changes in government during the decade of the '90s. That though does not mean the PML-N needs to adopt compromise mode, and offer unqualified support to the government. Strengthening the democratic system clearly is in the PML-N's interests as it is in the interest of this country. Those who accuse it of acting as friendly opposition are mostly in the fringe parties, who hope to use the public disillusionment with the ruling party over the dismal state of the economy, energy shortages, and a host of related problems to urge ouster of the government to improve their fortunes in the event of change of government. There is nothing wrong in pushing out a government which does not deliver, but it must happen through constitutional process. If the government's opponents have the numbers they would be within their rights to make either an in-house change or to seek dissolution of the assemblies to hold fresh elections. Nonetheless, in view of our troubled past every well-wisher of this country must remember that criticising the government or any other party is a legitimate democratic function, but inciting any political player to undermine the system is not.