On April 22, Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto addressed the National Assembly in a style reminicent of his illustrious grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Spontaneous and bold, the speech went unanswered from the treasury benches. Several parliamentarians from the ruling party staged a walkout from the lower house to protest against his blistering attack on the government and the prime minister. It looked strange that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf members should be unable to effectively defend the government.
The fissures, divisions and tensions apparent in the ruling party are entirely down to its lack of maturity. No clear vision seems to be guiding it. No wonder, the government seems to be at a loss and cannot steer the country in the right direction.
When the PTI was voted into power last year the choice of the voters was interpreted as an emphatic no to the style of government under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the PPP. The parties, which have been in and out of power for nearly 30 years, were accused of massive corruption. The allegations may not have been proved in a legal sense but they did stick in public mind. The PTI got its vote by convincing the electorate it was their best chance of finding an honest leadership. It was widely believed that the new party, which has been promising a Naya Pakistan, will bring about a raft of changes. Political and economic developments, however, show that the PTI has failed to realize the dream of Naya Pakistan.
By way of an answer, the prime minister, addressing a gathering in South Waziristan, referred to the PPP leader as “Bilawal Bhutto sahiba”. The rude remarks were seen broadly as reflecting PM’s misogynistic nature. This infuriated a large number of women and rights activists. The backlash was widespread and nasty. Many women leaders of public opinion voiced their anger and abhorrance.
Following the PTI government’s obvious failure to fulfill its promises, voters have started wondering whether an honest but incompetent political leadership is really any better than a competent but corrupt one. Who but the PPP and the PML-N will benefit from this?
One recalls that the PTI has enjoyed the support of more than its proportionate share of females. A large number of women have always been present at the party’s public gatherings and sit-ins. However, the content as well as the idiom of the prime minister’s recent speeches is alienating them. Who, but the PPP and the PML-N, stands to benefit from this? Is somebody in the PTI thinking about it?
Following the PTI government’s obvious failure to fulfill its promises, voters have started wondering whether an honest but incompetent political leadership is really any better than a competent but corrupt one. Who but the PPP and the PML-N will benefit from this? After patiently watching the emergence of a two-party system in the country, the electorate had revolted and agreed to give the alternative a chance. However, the PTI is showing itself to be totally inept and therefore not a real alternative. Should the party of change continue to put up a dismal show, can the voters choose any other way than returning to the mainstream parties? The PTI’s weaknesses and the faultlines in its ranks can only diminish its electoral strength. It should have alarmed the party that it lost 9 by-elections as early as October 2018, including seats vacated by Imran Khan.
In Sindh, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the PTI had supported each other’s candidates in several rural Sindh constituencies. On February 5, 2019, Imran Khan announced that the two parties could even form an electoral alliance in the future. He also praised the MQM-P ministers in his cabinet.
On April, 13, however, the MQM-P convener and federal minister for information technology, demanded the division of Sindh. The demand was taken to enjoy the prime minister’s support. This has caused great resentment and indignation not only among ethnic Sind his but also among PTI supporters in urban Sindh.
The MQM has long been criticized for its ways in urban Sindh. Its workers have had a hostile relationships with those of the PTI. While the people of Sindh may be divided in many ways they speak with one voice against any talk of division of Sindh. In the Provincial Assembly on April 15, the PPP law-makers passed a resolution condemning the two parties for the demand.
For the 12 years the PPP has been in the government in Sindh, the province has remained stuck in a virtual quagmire. The citizens have had to endure poverty, unemployment, a lack of potable water, a low literacy rate and a lack of quality healthcare. They were thus quite desperate to see political change. After the PTI’s victory in the 2018 elections, they had great expectations from the party’s leadership. They had hoped that the PTI government would pull the country out of the social, political and economic mess the PPP and the PML-N had left. In no more than 10 months the PTI leadership has managed to frustrate and disappoint them.
The politics in rural Sindh, it seems, will remain unchallenged and unchanged and continue to revolve around the PPP, while urban Sindh will see a colossal change. The PTI looks set for losses while the MQM, the PPP and the religious parties gain in electoral power.
The writer is a freelancer