The flurry of meetings between opposition leaders, on top of the momentum they have generated in the national assembly, is giving the impression that the derailed, if not defunct, PDM might be about to get back on track with the return of PPP to the fold. So far PPP Chairperson has successfully deflected all such questions after talks with PDM leaders, but if there is one place where actions speak louder than words, it is politics. And so far the combined opposition has done everything to suggest that the old PDM is in the process of being revived, which ought to mean more trouble for the government down the road. Yet to be even remotely successful they would have to rely on a lot more than the growing perception of widening distance between the so-called establishment and the ruling party. If that is all that has brought them together, and their internal differences remain as they were when PPP left the alliance, then what is happening should be counted as more noise than a threat. There’s nothing new about their main slogan – that people’s miseries because of high prices have forced them out – because inflation was a very big concern even before PPP parted ways with the rest of them. They do seem aware of personality clashes and different views about the way forward that created problems last time, though, which explains why Maryam Nawaz has been pulled back and Shahbaz Sharif has been pushed forward. Still, there’s nothing to suggest that they have worked or are working on a serious strategy. Surely they’ll need more than the ability to gather enough men to march on Islamabad because that alone will not make the government resign and call fresh elections. Therefore, how the opposition fine-tunes its offensive will make all the difference from here. It has been able to capture the headlines once again, but whether or not it has what it takes to turn this initiative into a potent threat for the government remains to be seen. *