Political debates echo households, marketplaces

As sweeping glacial winds begin to cool the garrison city, the country’s inflamed political climate has been heating tea-time conversations across the Rawalpindi metropolitan area.

From chai dhabas to mohallas to office canteens and wedding parties, no space has been spared the brouhaha of political commentary, ever since the Pakistan Democratic Movement first flexed its muscles against the government.

In the wake of full-throated press-conferences dominating television screens all day long, it appears the city of two-million-and-something residents has been left brimming with conflicting opinions.

“It’s a very sensitive time. There’s always a press conference or a meeting taking place in regard to the country’s fate, and we cannot help but wonder if the government will manage to stay or be ousted,” commented an elderly, apolitical resident of the city.

According to political observers, despite the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), uniting much of the opposition under a single banner against the Imran government, political differences between the two major opposition parties are still hard to miss.

The Pakistani Muslim League (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers in Rawalpindi appear to show different levels of participation in the nationally boiling campaign.

Where PML-N workers have been loud in their support for the Prime Minister’s unseating, other alliance divisions including PPP proponents have adopted a more inert approach to the campaign.

Observers stationed city-wide disclose that the Rawalpindi political scene, to a greater extent, has been dominated by PML-N workers, who have been the most keen to attend every PDM rally. Other parties however, have had a relatively thin attendance and shown little activity in the early months of the alliance.

“PML-N has had a decade of stronghold in the city, so it’s understandable that they’re the most enthusiastic about overturning the government. PPP and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) are yet to match enthusiasm, despite political dissatisfaction while PTI too has been limited to making political comments at meetings and offices. But it’s still too early to say anything, it’s likely that the city’s political climate will start boiling on all fronts come December,” a political observer commented.

Boosting Morale

Reportedly, PML-N Divisional President Malik Abrar, Former Mayor Sardar Naseem and Provincial Vice President Sheikh Arsalan Hafeez, had touted the party’s divisional convention to be a massive political show— a sentiment reciprocated by chest-thumping party workers.

The Saturday procession was claimed to be PML-N’s version of a public referendum against the government, though the said referendum is yet to yield its results.

“We are not afraid of lawsuits or prison cells. This is a difficult time for the party and we are confident our leader will soon return to Pakistan and take his rightful place as the Prime Minister. The selected Prime Minister (Imran Khan) is a puppet, whose reign is taking its last breaths, while Nawaz’s narrative has reached door to door. Shahbaz Shairf and Hamza Shahbaz will soon be freed, and once again join our campaign for fair-voting just like Maryam Nawaz,” foretold Hafeez, at a breakfast hosted in honour of party workers across the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2020.