An amplified opposition

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The opposition's umbrella alliance finally was able to flex its muscles, despite extreme coercion tactics by the government, as it galvanised the momentum for putting the country back on constitutional rule. It severely castigated the post-February 8 dispensation for usurping fundamental rights and cracking down on dissent.

The two-day conference of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayin Pakistan (TTAP) (Movement for Protection of Constitution) in Islamabad came as a morale booster for PTI which had been struggling to reclaim its electoral mandate and get its incarcerated leadership, including former PM Imran Khan, freed.

The opposition was able to bring together the who's who on a warpath with the order of the day, including Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Sunni Ittehad Council, BNP and MWM. It also made strides as it saw stalwarts like Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, as well as JUI-F's Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Senator Kamran Murtaza in its midst. That led to an amplified and vociferous stance wherein the leaders from across the spectrum were seen restless with the system in vogue. They called for respect for the verdict of the masses, reminding the government that it had gone over the brink in suppressing constitutional supremacy by indulging in gross human rights violations.

That memorandum from the opposition coincides with lobbying that is underway in the United States for a democratic reset in Pakistan. A letter from two Congressmen, Joe Wilson and August Pfluger, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage with Pakistan to ensure Imran Khan's release is a case in point. This pestering uncertainty does not bode well for Pakistan, especially as its economy is in the woods, and it is getting bad press abroad. All that the country is in need of is political stability and upholding of people's inviolable rights of political association and freedom of speech. It is all the more important as a Washington-based body, Freedom House, has once again downgraded Pakistan's standing in terms of political rights and civil liberties, ranking it among 'partly free' states.