It would be safe to say that the PDM is officially dead. The same parties who had spent the last six months or so garnering hype for its one-point agenda of “Go Imran Go,” are now busy dragging the alliance closer to its deathbed. The divide has certainly widened to a point of no return; thanks to the fast-escalating war of words between the PML-N and the PPP. What had started as differences in where the leadership stood on the political spectrum (largely explainable by their individual ideologies) has now turned into the beginning of the end. As accusations over the use of the clandestine support of the establishment are flying with full force, the PPP has deferred its Central Executive Committee’s meeting, quoting the summoning of the Senate session. Making things worse, the same party called out the grand umbrella for “doing opposition with the opposition.” Meanwhile, the PML-N leaders are busy dancing to their own agenda of pursuing a separate bloc of five opposition parties in the Senate. Ah! What a dismal end to such shining prospects! As the two old-time rivals are not ready for political maturity to take centre-stage, the Maulana–as called by friends, followers and foes–is on the rise. The parliamentary leaders of nearly all parties in the alliance have already put their weight behind Maulana Fazlur Rehman to keep them all together. It now remains to be seen what conciliatory rabbit he will pull out of his turban. While the PML-N is spearheading a charge sheet against the PPP and the ANP for the said violation of the decisions taken by the PDM, the Zardari camp is pursuing tit-for-tat questions why the PML-N was supporting the “puppet system” in Punjab. There is no coming back from these battle lines. Maulana has repeatedly attempted to referee the conflict by dismissing the concerns of a rift within. But no matter how loud he rallied the call for unity, he seems unable to keep PPP within the PDM’s folds. Politics has always been a game of power. No qualms about that. But the aggressive manner in which leaders of these parties tackled their disagreements, particularly over the nomination of the opposition leader in the Senate, has left them in a tight spot. Clearly, the ruling party has had the last laugh. PTI ministers are not holding back their glee as they do a post-touchdown victory dance. And why would they not? After six months of keeping at bay while in their crosshairs, the PDM has been reduced to a spent force. Luckily for them, the death knell was spelt all on its own. Given the perpetual lack of judgement prevalent on both sides, the rift would only get worse. There would be far more mudslinging, a much dirtier round of allegations! Let the divided house carry the day! *