Daily Times

Is anybody surprised that, seemingly all of a sudden, PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) is ready to forget its differences with PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) that not too long ago drove a wedge through PDM (Pakistan Democratic Alliance) and consider a no-confidence motion to topple the government ‘if there is a workable proposal’? What is clearly not surprising is that with the opposition alliance having failed in its one-point agenda of sending the government packing, which was followed by painful electoral setbacks for PML-N in particular, the party is now finding ways to stay relevant; even if it means beating a dead horse.

It is unfortunate that opposition parties are choosing the present time to stir the nest. Pakistan is after all at the centre of a region whose security calculus has been stood on its head by the Taliban’s return to Kabul. It has proved to be a moment of such historical significance that its shockwaves have rattled capitals like Washington, Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, Islamabad, etc. All countries in the area are, in fact, putting everything else aside and joining heads to find a workable solution that will take the whole region along on the right path. Internally, too, Pakistan’s security apparatus has been put on high alert because, just as expected, TTP (Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan) militants are using this window to conduct terrorist attacks inside the country.

And the economy is also on edge as everybody – government, producers and consumers alike – is struggling to shake off the effects of Covid’s fourth wave. Such moments require all parties in the country, especially those that claim to love it more than others and stand ready to sacrifice for it, to stand together as one because even if one part crumbles, it risks bringing everything down like a house of cards. Clearly opposition parties either do not realise the gravity of this moment, or are not interested in any greater good that doesn’t feature them as the anointed kings and king-makers.

It would be very unfortunate, not just for Pakistan but also for the region considering the present environment, if PPP and PML-N take on the same old mission of rocking the boat at this sensitive time. Now that Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto have run PDM into the ground, the are bent upon spreading the harm to the rest of the country’s politics also. Yet they don’t seem to understand that revolutionary politics and no confidence motions are not realised by indulging in such face-saving tactics. If anything, this statement about working together for a no confidence motion betrays deepening political immaturity in the main opposition parties. *