Daily Times

Political turbulence is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan. Following the 2013 general elections, it was Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that went on a verbal rampage accusing the victorious Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of rigging the elections. Approximately, a year after the elections, the PTI was on the streets demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation and a re-election. The months-long dharna (sit-in) in the capital ended following the most horrific Army Public School massacre. Moreover, the PML-N also agreed to certain demands of the PTI to form a judicial commission to probe the alleged wrongdoings. The commission gave its verdict, and ordered re-elections in particular constituencies where the PML-N candidates had won. But after the by-elections, results didn’t change, as interestingly, the de-seated candidates were back in parliament. A rather stable year followed the chaos. Then came the Panama leaks, giving much-needed political capital to the opposition parties, and since the leaks, the PML-N government has been under severe pressure to clear the name of the Sharif family regarding its certain offshore companies.

Given all the turbulence the PML-N government has faced in its three years, its recent victory in the Azad Jammu Kashmir elections comes as a huge relief to the ruling party. The lead-up to the elections was a mudslinging match between the three major parties — PML-N, PTI, and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The results of the elections reveal some major problems with the strategies of the PTI and PPP as they failed to cash in on PML-N’s weak position in the wake of the Panama leaks.

The PTI should realise that political sloganeering would not work every time. People prefer to vote for the party that they feel would work for them. With PML-N in government in the centre and the largest province by population, Punjab, the results of the local body elections were a manifestation of this fact. Furthermore, the PTI has failed to work at the grassroots level where the support of the PML-N is still strong. Although the PTI has recently been making efforts with some party leaders visiting rural areas, there is a great deal more to be done on its part. Most of all, it should focus on its governance in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to create an example for the voters of other provinces. The calls for street agitation, again and again, would not bide well with the people if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, where the PTI is in power, is not fulfilling its promises.

As far as the PPP is concerned, poor governance in the past eight years in Sindh with five in the centre speaks volumes of their current state. With the political leadership of the party working from abroad, it hardly sets a positive tone for the voters in the province, and overall in the country.

Despite all the efforts of the opposition, and having won the centre as well as the province of Punjab, the PML-N still finds itself in the weakest of spots. The recent incidents of posters calling General Raheel Sharif to take over, and the relative silence on the part of the government speaks volumes about the situation it finds itself in. Firstly, it is impossible to put up those posters in all major cities of Pakistan including the highly secured cantonment areas without some “internal” help. Secondly, given the strength of the PML-N in the centre, it should have taken strictest of actions against the backers of the campaign. The delayed legal recourse taken against the perpetrators of the anti-democracy campaign seems too little too late.

The PML-N is not ready to present itself for accountability in the wake of the Panama Papers, which is leading to a situation of political chaos in the country. The PML-N’s position would further weaken in the future if it does not handle these cases properly. With the next general elections approaching in less than two years, all the political parties in the country would need to rethink their future strategies amid the brewing political chaos. *