The battle is on!

The opposition finally managed to cross the bridge as it submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly Secretariat yesterday. The hyper activity came on an eventful day when women were out on the streets of Islamabad, like in other parts of the country, for highlighting their rights as well as their long-persisting problems in a patriarchal society. Furthering the fervour, the PPP’s week-long anti-government rally made its way into the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The federal capital thus came to a near standstill — indicating that something big was in the wings. Now the ball is in the opposition’s court to prove its mantle as the motion is put to vote on the floor of the house. Till then it’s all fingers crossed.

The opposition’s move was widely expected as the PTI too felt itself on a slippery path. The ruling party seems to be fragmenting and political dissent is quite evident. Notwithstanding claims that all is well and the party can stand the rough waters of no-confidence motion, things are unraveling. The overnight muscle flexing by PTI stalwart Aleem Khan — who happened to be the backbone of ruling clique and a former Punjab minister — and his voice of dissent is writing on the wall. The point that Aleem rallied with estranged Jahangir Tareen group legislators is more than enough to seal the numerical count against the government. This is owing to bad mathematics and overconfidence of the PTI and its movers and shakers. They failed to read between the lines in our chequered politics where a host of unsaid factors matter in governance.

This diatribe has hinted at some serious rubbing of shoulders behind the curtains with like-minded legislators who are willing for a change in political spectrum. It is quite possible that a nexus is in the making with the opposition. Such a move was being contemplated for a long time and the PML-N and PPP were longing to realise this moment. While the dissidents have preferred to express their allegiance with Jahangir Tareen, their mentor, and not with the Prime Minister, this is a serious development. This confirms the new firewall of otherness in the PTI.

The high-profile visit of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail to Lahore, nonetheless, on the directives of the Prime Minister was surely a fence-mending attempt. The PTI still stands a chance to stay afloat if the dark horses manage to foment a new deal between the Prime Minister and the all-important Tareen group. The government incidentally is faced with a bad Press due to its own shenanigans over curbing of social media activity, as well as the recent security lapse in Peshawar that resulted in more than 60 people losing their lives and nearly 200 receiving injuries.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has to watch the power-play fielding. Though he is confident that his legislators as well as his allies will occupy the crease, he still has to keep an eye on the scoreboard. This new phase of uncertainty has already bred enough instability. It is high time that the politics of checkmate gave way to some resounding thoughts on issues that matter to the nation.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2022.

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