Politics of power-mongering

Political heat is quite evident as the opposition and the government are upping the stakes. In the backdrop of a call for a no-confidence motion against the government, the ruling party itself has set the ball rolling by opting to take on the opposition through a public canvassing campaign. This not only exhibits smartness on the part of the treasury, but also an attempt to obstruct the momentum of the opposition well within their small steps.

Prime Minister Imran Khan took to a rally in Mandi Bahauddin town of Punjab and his tone reflected complete electioneering. The fact that he is unrelenting in striking a chord with the opposition, in what is called an NRO, is likely to be a battle of nerves and not merely politics of numbers on the floor of the house.

The Prime Minister did some plain-talking, and his intention was to browbeat the opposition. True to his style, he admitted his mistakes, and the foremost among them he pointed out was allowing the former premier, Nawaz Sharif, to fly abroad. With chickens coming home to roost, he challenged the leader of the opposition and the PML-N leadership to come clean and face the courts. The body language of the PM was lambasting. By scolding his adversaries in a personal tone, he aptly upped the ante in politics. He, however, seemed content with the performance of his government, and at the same time was confident that his allies would stand the test of rough waters. It remains to be seen whether this diatribe graduates into a full-fledged tug of war or dies down in next few days with the opposition looking the other way.

The government seems to be under a realisation that it’s time to get decisive. The reported reshuffling of the cabinet in the next few days, and entrusting some of the bigwigs to look deep into political mosaic is a timely response. A federal minister’s utterance that the ruling party is ready to rally across the country is instantly an indicator of nervousness, as the opposition reaches out to allies in the corridors of power. The need of the hour is to rely on politics and not brinkmanship.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2022.

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