Opposition huddle

The overall approach appears torn between hitting the streets now and waiting till the time govt discredits itself

There were a lot of suggestions — albeit no decisions — as opposition parties huddled in the federal capital yesterday to chalk out a strategy for a movement against the PTI government. It was not unexpected though as major opposition parties — the PML-N and the PPP — clearly appeared unsure of whether the time is ripe for an anti-government movement. And with their top leadership stuck in court cases, both parties can be perceived to be looking at some kind of a relief in the form of a deal with the powers-that-be, giving an indication of why a clear sense of direction was missing at the all-party conference — as it was dubbed — even though besides the BNP-M and the MQM-P (the two government allies), the Jamaat-e-Islami was also not in attendance.

The gathering looked like a courteous response to the call from Maulana Fazlur Rehman — the only government opponent who went into the conference single-mindedly. Doing all what is possible on way to overthrowing the government is what his one-point agenda was. It’s no wonder then that the Maulana suggested resignations from all the assemblies en bloc in order to what he said build pressure on the government. That the Maulana’s proposal was met with reservations shows the reluctance of the opposition parties to go to the extremes. Even Asfandyar Wali’s suggestion to replace Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani ‘in order to win the nation’s trust for the opposition’ did not have many backers.

There were no other suggestions of note from any side, except some customary ones like making Punjab the epicentre of a future movement. Clearly dominated by the stance of the PML-N and the PPP, the overall approach of the conference appeared torn between hitting the streets now and waiting till the time the government discredits itself. It is really difficult to find any major takeaways for the opposition from the conference, which turned out to be a ceremonious gathering just providing an opportunity for opposition leaders to heap criticism on the government. No cause for concern, therefore, for the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan — at this stage, at least.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2019.

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