Daily Times

As Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prepares for the Prime Minister’s oath-taking ceremony, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) alongside various other regional parties have announced their ‘grand opposition alliance’ Although none have called Imran Khan out personally, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and its election result, 2018 has been outright rejected due to alleged rigging. Instead of boycotting the National Assembly, these parties have decided to use the parliament as their platform. The opposing parties with a 120 seats between them; and will sit across the approximately 173 seat PTI majority that also consists of PML-Q and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

It seems as though it was just yesterday, we were dealing with PTI’s outcry over manipulated results in the 2013 general elections. Five years later little seems to have changed, as once again right after campaigning ended, protests against electoral rigging began. While in May 2013 it was Imran Khan accusing Nawaz Sharif of using the army’s support to win the previous elections, this time it is the opposition calling PTI a “puppet” party. Moreover PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb has stated that “we were perhaps chosen to teach PTI a thing or two about the opposition”.

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As Imran Khan spent the past five years, engaged in street protests, court cases, and defamation of the previous government, we cannot help but fear history repeating itself. A healthy opposition- working closely with a majority — is one of the defining features of democracy. However the prioritization of political maneuvering over effective legislation and governance, has detrimental consequences for the polity as a whole. Unfortunately, most members of our assemblies are unable to differentiate between being a political leader, and an elected candidate in power, whose responsibility is not just towards their political party, but also towards the country.

What we hope to see in the next five years, is not political mud-slinging and snail-paced legislation, rather strong, effective and functional workings of our democratic system. *

Published in Daily Times, August 4^th 2018.