PDM’s moment of truth

It is time for PDM to do some soul searching because of its unprincipled politics, miscalculations in unseating govt

When the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) took U-turns on resigning from assemblies, taking out a long march and staging a sit-in, its credibility and capability to unseat the PTI government became quite questionable. The February 4 meeting of the PDM held in the backdrop of its U-turns was an aberration as its leadership failed to target real issues faced by the people and came up with superficial resolutions to exert symbolic pressure on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

It is time for the PDM to do some soul searching because of its unprincipled politics and miscalculations in unseating the present government. Its wrong tactics and strategies not only gave the PTI-led government a new lease of life but also augmented its confidence to deal with a conglomeration of heterogeneous alliance of opposition parties. Pakistan’s history is replete with examples of alliances formed on one-point agendas against the incumbents but once the government is removed, the coalition of political parties falls like a house of cards. Alliances formed against the regimes of Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf disintegrated once the common enemy was gone. But in case of the PDM, it is different because even before the removal of the PTI-led government, the alliance is showing signs of fragmentation.

It was the inept and flawed policies of the PTI-led government in the last two years which provided opportunities to opposition parties to unite and launch a movement. Issues which united the opposition parties included the price hike of essential commodities namely sugar, wheat, milk and medicines, as well as periodic increases in the rates of electricity, gas and petroleum products. And then unemployment and inflation accentuated because of the pandemic putting the government in a quandary. India’s absorption of Jammu and Kashmir by revoking articles 370 and 35(A) of their constitution was interpreted by the PDM as a major failure of the PTI government, leading to what they call the Fall of Kashmir. Perceived arrogance of the Prime Minister and his consistent bashing of key opposition leaders calling them “thieves” and “dacoits” also contributed to the unification of PTI’s key rivals.

If the opposition got a fertile ground to target the PTI-led government, accusing the Prime Minister of taking frequent U-turns, reneging on his promises to establish an Islamic welfare state; providing 10 million jobs and five million houses, it however failed to put its own house in order. After holding several public meetings in major cities of Pakistan and protests outside the office of the Chief Election Commission in Islamabad, opposition leaders took several U-turns on their earlier commitments. Internal contradictions in the PDM, particularly between PPP, PML-N and JUI-F, reflected how imprudent and inconsistent these parties are in dealing with national issues. PPP’s refusal to take a hardline against the PTI government in the form of resignation from assemblies and sit-ins in Islamabad made it clear that the lack of consensus and courage on their part strengthened the government’s confidence. The PTI, which up until a few months ago was facing a serious challenge from the PDM, now feels at ease.

Will history repeat itself and lead to the fragmentation of the PDM much before its final assault on the government? Why does the PPP follow a different approach on dealing with the issue of removing the government from power and how does the nexus between PML-N and JUI-F reflect their hardline position? Why has the PDM taken U-turns in the recent past and how has it put its credibility at stake?

Certainly, the PDM’s moment of truth has arrived because of three main reasons.

First, if it fails to take damage control measures at the earliest, its efforts to remove the PTI-led government will go down the drain. Such damage control measures must include reversing U-turns which it has taken in the last one month and revert to its principled position. It is another matter as to what extent the PDM has the political will and determination to take a stand and stick to its position. It means that the PDM leadership’s approach is myopic as it takes a decision first and then thinks about the consequences. Decisions like resignation from the assemblies and the dissolution of the Sindh Assembly, and then realising that neither would deter the government from holding Senate elections led to the reversal of that decision. The erosion of principled politics is the root cause of mediocre and below mediocre leadership in the country which has failed to resolve critical issues facing the people. In the absence of institutions, where those aspiring to become politicians can be trained, has led to a vacuum in the political environment of the country. The declining standards of politics — as reflected in the opposition and the parties in power — need to be taken seriously because Pakistan’s 220 million people cannot afford any further U-turns or dishonest practices.

Second, the lack of mature and professional thinking on the part of major political parties on dealing with each other and issues which threaten the existence of Pakistan cannot be overlooked. When lessons are not learned from history and the same old mistakes are committed by the opposition and governing parties, the outcome is the augmentation of crises and political polarisation in the country. When PDM leaders who talk about price hike, corruption, nepotism and the “Fall of Kashmir” are themselves naïve about the ground realities and are confined to their comfort zones, one can only expect indifference on the part of people to their calls for protest marches and demonstrations. When Maryam Nawaz, the vice-president of PML-N, in her speech in Daska, Sialkot, on February 13, questioned the price of eggs per kilogram instead of per dozen, it showed her ignorance about the prices of essential commodities. Likewise, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in one of his speeches talked about the price of tomatoes per dozen and eggs per kilo! When the PDM leadership has little idea about the pain and sufferings of the common people because of the sharp escalation in prices of essential commodities and unemployment, how can they expect the people to be receptive to their calls for the overthrow of the government?

Third, there are three forces that can be mobilised in a political movement: students, lawyers and workers. Unfortunately, the PDM has been unable to reach out to any of the three segments who not only possess the energy but also the courage and the will to rise against injustices and exploitation in society. When neither students nor lawyers or workers are in the midst of the PDM movement, one cannot expect the PTI regime to suffer any setback. The PDM cannot get popular support merely through superficial slogans and demands and is likely to fail in its long march or a sit-in. Popular movements against Ayub Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wasted the sacrifices of people and led to the imposition of martial law. That is the reason why the people of Pakistan — no matter how frustrated, angry and buried under the clutches of poverty, price hike and unemployment — do not trust the opposition.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2021.

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