Divided and confused

Maulana Fazlur Rehman can bear the government no more. His JUI-F is on its mark and all set to go. But the PML-N and the PPP — the two main opposition parties — want to wait for the right time to hit the streets and send the PTI government packing. The JUI-F chief, being a seasoned politician, is also aware of the political compulsions of the two parties in view of the incarceration of their top leadership. And with rumours of behind-the-scenes engagement for a deal rife, the Maulana has all the reasons to exercise caution in dealing with the two parties. The Maulana, therefore, may not want to delay his anti-government action — planned for this month — lest a deal at a later stage could affect its build-up.

Unity, thus, eludes the opposition, and confusion prevails within its ranks — much to the satisfaction of the government. However, this is not the first time that the opposition has failed to forge unity of action. Go back to the time when the PTI and allies had taken up the reins of the government in the wake of the July 25, 2018 elections. No less than 11 parties had joined forces in what was dubbed as the strongest opposition in the history of the country. But the so-called grand alliance turned out to be a non-starter. To start with, the opposition could not agree on a joint candidate to run against Imran Khan for the post of Prime Minister, mainly because the PPP had objection to the candidature of Shehbaz Sharif. And when, just days later, the two major opposition parties went their separate ways to elect the President, it was clear that there could be no such thing as combined opposition.

A year on now, there is unanimity of thought between the PML-N and the PPP as both believe the iron is not hot enough to strike. But for the JUI-F, the time for the anti-government action is ripe. While the JUI-F does not mind going solo, the other two seek to avoid a unilateral action. It will be interesting to see which way the wind blows.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2019.

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