In its fourth month, the alliance of 11 opposition parties, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), is struggling to move past underlying tensions to force Prime Minister Imran Khan out of Islamabad.
The differences were obvious, to begin with. With Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz still determined to settle scores with the administration, the Sharif family has repeatedly made the entire show about their recent witch hunt. Meanwhile, the secular Pakistan Peoples Party continues to sit on the sidelines as it weighs resignations and using parliamentary strategies to further its agenda.
In the most recent exchange, PML-N Vice President, Maryam Nawaz, has declared PPP chief, Bilawal’s proposal to move a no-trust motion against the central government “impracticable.” The leadership’s persistent call for resignations and launching the long march to Islamabad seems to be the order of the day. Further, the party resolution, as was read by PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal, once again, blatantly slammed the army leadership for “practically painting a picture of martial law” in Pakistan. “Imposed government,” and “ failed state,” were the oft-stressed heated mantras, *something that is bound to generate nothing but controversy. *
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal has also demanded Bilawal to “show numbers” in support of his no-confidence motion; hinting at a lack of confidence and trust between the two parties.
In the past, the PDM had stepped forward with an unwavering resolve to move beyond varied viewpoints and deep-seated dissensions in a persistent opposition against Khan. Repeatedly delivering on their promises of power shows across the country, the combined opposition had made clear that the movement is not ready to fizzle; not just yet! However, soon the decades-old distrust between the main stalwart parties (PPP and PML-N) started rearing its head again. With the in-fighting over Senate polls and the upcoming by-elections in full swing and Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s non-stop “Jihad” pledges, the mega alliance appears short of building legitimacy to their case.
Initial success at banding together aside, the coming days spell several hurdles and widespread uncertainty for the grand alliance. Khan and his team are still betting on the divisions within rather than playing their cards with a united front. Only on Monday, Information Minister Shibli Faraz assailed the opposition parties for differences in plans to oust the government. “One PDM, multiple narratives” do not hold any potential to generate momentum to pressurise the institutions or carry on in its last attempt to “save the democracy.” Ergo, the alliance can only benefit from staying and moving forward together.
It cannot be denied that Khan is operating from a position of strength (70 per cent of Pakistanis believe the government handled the COVID pandemic impressively well).
Thus, he is not entertaining the idea of reconciliation with the opposition, which according to him, would inevitably lead to NRO talks.
As he has repeatedly iterated, NRO is not an option at any given cost. In the meantime, more rallies and crackdowns are the order of the day while the struggling economy would continue to crumble. Healthy democracies go hand-in-hand with strong economies. Pakistan needs lasting success on both avenues. *
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