If one is to believe the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), especially its leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman, then the combined opposition movement got held back by a few months because of “hot and humid weather” and because it was “stabbed in the back by PPP (Pakistan People’s Party),” but now that the weather’s a little better and PPP is out, they are ready to hold rallies up and down the country once again to restore “true democracy” in Pakistan. But the government, which did find cause to worry a little when PDM first took off, doesn’t appear too concerned anymore. In fact, the few ministers that have commented on the Movement’s latest ideas have been more inclined to laugh it off than be intimidated by it. A more likely, and far more believable, explanation is that, having tried just about everything and still failed in toppling the government, the parties that are still part of PDM seem to have decided in favour of these tactics to stay relevant, in any way possible, till the election. The fact is that when the alliance was initially cobbled together it did manage to surprise many onlookers, including the government, because its strongest parties were bitter rivals of the past who had, for all intents and purposes, decided to bury the hatchet in favour of the one-point agenda of sending the government packing. Together they were able to gather large crowds in many cities across the country and give political pundits much to think about. But then, as many had feared, rather expected, the goodwill didn’t last for long and the allies have turned into foes once again; just like the old days. And now they spend more time in trying to play each other down than they do in criticizing the government. That in itself is enough to show that the wind has been taken out of PDM’s sails. It’s also pretty self-serving of opposition parties to ignore the sensitivities of the present moment, which require Pakistan to be on its toes if it is to go unscathed financially as well as security-wise from latest regional developments, and think only about themselves and how they can return to power. Nevertheless the proof of the pudding always lies in its eating. And it is for the people, who will go to the polls in another two years to elect our leaders for the next term, to show if PDM’s case is genuine or not. Government officials don’t expect the coming protest rallies to succeed in luring too many people out of their homes, especially when PDM itself stands a house divided. But politics is the art of the possible, after all, and the only thing that can be said with certainty is that PDM doesn’t seem to have the tail wind that its lofty ambitions demand. *