Opposition alliance flexes muscles for anti-govt protests

The opposition alliance, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), is gearing up to take the government to task with a 'grand power show' in Islamabad on August 22.

Opposition leader in the National Assembly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub has announced that a nationwide campaign will soon be announced as part of the alliance's efforts to restore the Constitution and uphold the rule of law in the country.

A coalition of six opposition parties, under the TTAP banner, had recently kicked off its nationwide movement against the ruling coalition comprising the PML-N, PPPP and MQM-P, among others.

On Monday, a meeting of the grand opposition leadership was held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Mehmood Khan Achakzai in which the opposition leader, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and former National Assembly (NA) speaker Asad Qaiser deliberated upon key political happenings and devised the opposition alliance's strategy to gear up the movement against the government.

Arrangements and preparations for the Islamabad rally on August 22 were also discussed, while the participants also took stock of the country's political climate, especially the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) recent ruling concerning PTI founder Imran Khan.

Concerns were raised about the government's role in Parliament, particularly following the hasty passage of an amendment to the Election Act of 2017, which has stirred the political pot even further.

The government recently pushed through an amendment to the Election Act 2017, hot on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling that recognized PTI as a parliamentary party, making it eligible for reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies—seats previously denied by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Soon after the ruling directed the PTI-backed independent lawmakers to submit affidavits showing the party of their choice, the government passed an amendment that bars these lawmakers from joining any political party once their initial option is exhausted.

The passage of the bill in parliament coupled with the non-issuance of the detailed judgment in the reserved seats matter as well as the pending review petition has further aggravated the issue. As a result, the PTI has neither received its share of reserved seats nor has the judgment yet attained finality.

Speaking on Monday, the leaders of the opposition parties said that a peaceful meeting is the opposition parties' constitutional and democratic right, saying a grand rally will be held in Islamabad on August 22 in which workers from all over the country will participate.

Ayub hoped that the administration would not create any hindrances in the opposition's rally, saying PTI's rallies had always been peaceful. He reiterated that the opposition alliance will continue to make efforts to restore the constitution and rule of law in Pakistan.

Recently, the PTI has announced the expansion of the TTAP platform into a 'grand opposition alliance', saying the opposition parties that are still not part of the TTAP, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), will formally be invited to join the anti-government movement.

The PTI and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have also been trying to find common ground for quite some time, although a final agreement has remained elusive. The PTI and TTAP believe that if JI and JUI-F join forces with the opposition alliance, it would tip the scales in their favour, allowing them to draw massive crowds at upcoming rallies and turn up the heat on the PML-N government.