Weak opposition a cause for concern

The PTI-backed government in the province will face little resistance in legislation, governmental policies

PESHAWAR:

After more than a year of a caretaker government, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) finally have elected representatives in place, a majority of whom are the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) backed independent candidates, which has translated into a weak opposition.

The PTI backed independent candidates won a clear majority in the K-P Assembly in the general election held last month, winning 91 of the 145 seats; in contrast, the opposition only managed to grab 26 seats, with the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F) secured 9 each, Pakistan People’s Party secured 5, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) secured 2, and the Awami National Party managed to get 1 seat. It is pertinent to mention that 47 members are required for the opposition to make a requisition to the Speaker for a meeting of the provincial Assembly to discuss issues relating the province, however the 26 member strong opposition does not have the numbers to do so.

With the opposition clearly weak, The Express Tribune spoke to the Leader of the Opposition in the K-P Assembly, Dr Ibadullah of the PML-N, on the opposition parties’ strategy for the five year term of the Assembly. “We may be less in number in K-P but we have a government at the centre, which will help,” remarked Dr Ibadullah. “Rest assured we will raise our voice for the populace of K-P, with regards to issues they face, both inside and outside the K-P Assembly,” asserted the Leader of the Opposition.

Be that as it may, Dr Ibadullah realises the limitations that come with a weak opposition. “If the first few days of this newly elected K-P Assembly are any indication, we have already seen the high handedness of the majority party as they misbehaved with female members and the proceedings of the Assembly became a ruckus,” he said. It is also pertinent to add that the opposition is also weak because the JUI-F has already distanced itself from the current opposition parties. In this regard, former leader of the opposition in the K-P Assembly, Akram Khan Durrani of the JUI-F, told The Express Tribune that his party had decided to move away from parliamentary politics and go towards street agitation.

“The general elections were blatantly rigged, therefore it does not make any sense to sit in government or opposition. We would prefer to protest on the streets,” explained Durrani. With the JUI-F not interested in being a part of the opposition and the remaining opposition parties not having the requisite numbers to even requisition a meeting of the K-P, Dr Sanam Khattak, Professor at the Department of Economics of the University of Peshawar, predicted that the opposition would not be able to play an effective role in K-P.

“If an opposition is strong, it can force a sitting government to rethink its policies or legislation that it wishes to pass. However, this time around it seems that the PTI will have a freehand in K-P,” said Dr Khattak while talking to The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2024.