Pak govt apparently using sedition law to silence opponents: Dawn

Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government in Pakistan appears to be using sedition law loosely to crack down on the country's opposition leaders and the practice needs to stop, said influential Pakistani newspaper Dawn in a recent editorial.

"The PDM government appears hell-bent on clubbing its opponents, particularly those belonging to the PTI, with the big stick of sedition," read the opening lines of the editorial titled, "Seditious' utterances" published on Wednesday (15 February).

Pakistan's former finance minister Shaukat Tarin is the latest politician from the country's opposition ranks who was booked on 10 February under sedition charges. It took the tally to five for opposition politicians to have been booked for sedition under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led federal government, the coalition that came to power after the outser of former prime minister Imran Khan.

Other leaders from Imran Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) who have recently faced charges of sedition include Fawad Chaudhry, Shandana Gulzar, Azam Swati and Shahbaz Gill. This has raised the question if the present Pak government is using charges of sedition to crack down on the opposition.

Shaukat Tarin was booked by the Federal Investigation Agency in a sedition case for allegedly attempting to derail attempts by the Shehbaz government to resume the Extended Fund Facility with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The audio of his alleged conversations with the former finance ministers of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkwha were leaked in which he urged both to reject any deal that the incumbent government makes with the IMF.

A case of sedition was registered against PTI leader and former lawmaker Shandana Gulzar Khan by the Islamabad Police on 2 February for allegedly "inciting" people and spreading "hatred" against state institutions. She was accused of issuing controversial remarks during a talk show on a private news channel.

Pakistan's former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry, an outspoken critic of the ruling coalition government, had been booked on 25 January for issuing remarks against the Election Commission of Pakistan, including threatening commission officials and their families.

On 13 October, Former federal minister and a sitting senator Azam Swati was arrested for allegedly tweeting a "highly obnoxious and intimidating message" against state institutions, including Pakistan's former chief of army staff General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Nearly a dozen cases were registered against Swati across the country.

The chief of staff PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Shahbaz Gill was booked for sedition and inciting the public against state institutions following statements during a television programme. Gill was subsequently arrested. He was only released later after obtaining bail.

Dawn, in its editorial, said that intelligence agencies, military and civilian, listening in on private conversations is unsettling.

"The latest political figure to face charges of making 'seditious' utterances is former finance minister Shaukat Tarin. The FIA on Monday filed charges against Mr Tarin based on audio clips leaked in August in which the former minister is allegedly heard advising the then PTI finance ministers of KP and Punjab not to return surplus funds to the centre in order to sabotage talks with the IMF. Shaukat Tarin claims the clips have been 'tampered' with," it said.

"Though it is true that, when in power, the PTI hounded its political adversaries by using the same unseemly tactics, the politics of vengeance and retribution must come to an end. All stakeholders need to step back and work towards bringing civility to politics," the editortial further said.

It concluded saying that "the rapid-fire filing of cases against opponents needs to be done away with, especially on such grave charges — before the practice turns into an endless loop of revenge."

"Moreover, the sooner the sedition law is done away with, the better, as rather than containing anti-state activity, this odious legislation is used to keep critical voices in check by both civilian and military rulers," Dawn said, calling for the practice's abolishment.