Looking at Pakistan’s tumultuous political and historical past, it can be safely concluded that the PTI government will not survive the test of time. Economic woes faced by Pakistan at the moment are offering a rare advantage to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition led by two of the most prominent political parties i.e. the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)
Nearly eleven political parties have been up in arms against the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government almost for a month now over a number of issues, especially on the economic front.
Economic woes faced by Pakistan at the moment are offering a rare advantage to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition led by two of the most prominent political parties — the Pakistani Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) among others to attack the Government.
The first PDM rally was organised in mid-October. For now, the veteran Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), is heading the PDM. Just before beginning his first pubic appearance, he clearly underlined the objective of the coalition, “The Opposition is committed and there should be no impression that any of the parties are waiting for an agreement. All parties are committed and are united in restoring the sanctity of the people’s vote.” Outlining the PDM’s united role in its fight against the PTI Government, he said, “We don’t have personal enmity with anyone. But it should be specified that Pakistan belongs to Pakistanis. It does not belong to western entities.” He also stressed on the fact that “Pakistan did not come into power to be ruled by the global establishment. It all implies that the PDM is solidly behind the Maulana and they want an Imran-free Pakistan wherein there would be no western intervention at all.
Maryam Nawaz, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and vice-president of the PML(N), while embarking on this journey, regarded herself as the “Nawaz’s foot soldier”. She vowed to continue her father’s mission for Pakistan. Meanwhile Billawal Bhutto-Zardari, the PPP chairman and son of former President Asif Ali Zardari and late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, too has joined the struggle and made it a united front to bring down the Imran Government.
Indeed, these second-generation leaders of the two main Opposition parties have put forward a rare fight to the Army-backed PTI Government in Islamabad.
The 26-point charter released by the PDM is very significant. It clearly spells out that there should be an end to the establishment’s role in politics. Among other things, it also highlights that Imran must resign immediately, and demanded production of missing persons and reduction of the prices of basic commodities. The PDM has also announced a clear line of action for the immediate future. Apart from its huge Gujranwala rally, the alliance will hold joint rallies across the four provinces of the country. Also it says that these rallies will be followed by mass protests across the country in December and a long march to the capital city of Islamabad in January 2021. The coalition lawmakers may also consider the option of resigning from the country’s National Assembly.
At the moment, PML(N) founder Nawaz, who was convicted of corruption in 2018, is now based in London after getting bail on medical grounds, had given fiery video speeches at two different rallies organised by the PDM. In one of his speeches, he created almost a history of sort. He called out the name of the head of the Pakistan’s Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa and accused him of engineering his ouster in 2017 and 2018 victory of the PTI in the general election. It’s in fact very rare for a senior politician of a former Prime Minister’s stature to make specific allegations against a sitting Army chief of the country. This is a worry signal for the country at this moment. But Nawaz in his speeches maintained that his fight is not against Imran but only against those people who has brought him to power. And undoubtedly, it is clear that he is pointing finger at the country’s Army establishment. Questioning the all powerful Army is somewhat prohibited in a country like Pakistan as it’s popularly known as the “deep state” of the country. Besides, the Army in that country absolutely regulates all internal and external moves of any civilian Government that has ever come to power since its formation.
Precisely, in the last 73 years of Pakistan’s history, there were four occasions when the Army ruled the country. And such Opposition alliances had in the past came together against military rulers and at times with significant successes. In the late 1960s, the Opposition parties had thrown out Field Marshal Ayub Khan from the office of the President of Pakistan. However, the Opposition parties could not register similar success in regard to General Zia-ul-Haq’s presidency in the 1980s. The charges against Zia were led by the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). Again, such an alliance called Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) came up to dethrone General Pervez Musharraf in the 1990s. It’s not that these Opposition parties only rallied against the military dictators but they also came up to pull down civilian governments in the past. For example, the popularly elected Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Government was pulled down by such alliances in the year 1977 to bring home the General Zia presidency. But here we must remember that there were specific allegations of election rigging and manipulation of economic policies against the then Bhutto Government. In those days, the Opposition coalition was led by the Pakistan National Alliance.
When it comes to the coalition against Imran Government, it must be noted here that it is fully backed by the Army unlike the Bhutto Government of the 1977. So today’s PDM struggle is very unique in that sense and if goes further, it may garner more public support for it.
What has exactly enraged the Opposition and the public is deep economic crisis accompanied by the severe attack of the global corona pandemic across Pakistan. The acute shortage of wheat and sugar has pressed a large number of people to look out for an alternative government in the country. Besides these two problems, the devastating floods and locust attack on grain fields have together accentuated the current crisis in Pakistan.
It is an open secret that corruption of successive establishments, including the PTI in Islamabad, has severely plagued the entire administrative system of the country. It has become an inseparable part of Pakistan’s public governance system. Sadly, Imran has added an extremely poor political discourse to the existing public sphere of the country. His scant disregard for political opposition and arrogance in public forums has further aggravated the problems for the Government.
Currently, ousting the PTI Government is seemed to be an insurmountable task. The simple reason is that it is solely backed by the Army of Pakistan. But how long this support sustains is a matter of big question. Till then, Imran is safe. The traditional rivalries of the two Opposition parties within the PDM i.e. the PML (N) and the PPP must make it sure their differences should not break the alliance in the days to come. Looking at Pakistan’s tumultuous political and historical past, it can be safely concluded that the PTI Government will not survive the test of time.
(The writer is an expert on international affairs)
