Daily Times

For the past few weeks, the main opposition party, PTI, has been reduced to a rudderless ship, drifting aimlessly in turbulent waters. On one hand, hushed-hushed, disgruntled murmurs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are slowly but steadily gaining traction, pointing out gaping loopholes in the governance mechanism of a party that has been ruling the roost for the third consecutive time. Considering how the executive spends most of his energies in renewing calls for the release of his leader Imran Khan, there is understandably little vigour left to do the actual job the masses entrusted him with.

Miles away in the centre, the leadership has yet to prove its mettle beyond the stature of a second-tier brigade of yes-men that keeps bowing down to every command from Adiala and is forced to give fractures, mixed signals in the meantime. To see the PTi officially announce its decision to join the Judicial Commission of Pakistan after remaining the fiercest critics of the entire process. Between their heated walkouts and pressers showing support for the version presented by JUI’s Maulana, which transpired on the heels of their own adamant refusal to present their contributions to the assigned parliamentary committee, the entire episode reeks of a lack of unity and direction. Every new news cycle hints at yet another bout of infighting or caustic allegations from ex-members, underscoring how these different factions, as they vie for control and influence, are deliberating forcing a once formidable force to remain adrift.

These pages have repeatedly called on all political players to remember how political problems can only be solved on political platforms and with the help of political solutions. Although the age of #fakenews makes it impossibly hard to gauge the actual popularity of political parties, February’s polls stand testament to the fact that the party is still alive and kicking in the public. However, would dilly-dallying on all administrative issues and throwing a spanner in the works of every single policy let them maintain their grip on the wave of popular support?

Did the Pakistani voters not expect them to reach the hot seat and then work hard for a myriad of crises they’ve been battling with, thanks to rampant political instability? A good starting point out of this stalemate would be to choose between Mr Khan’s aggression and hard posturing with the outside leadership’s inclination for a more normal way of dealing with things. *