Opposition's demands

Two years on from the 2024 general elections, Pakistan's political fault lines are hardening rather than healing. The All Parties Conference convened by TTAP at the Karachi Press Club is a marker of a broader, simmering pushback against a political order many citizens continue to view as contested and exclusionary.

The APC's call for a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on February 8 - to be observed as a "Black Day" - reflects a deep sense of grievance that has not dissipated with time. Allegations of electoral rigging, demands for a neutral Chief Election Commissioner, and calls for fresh elections under a reconstituted Election Commission of Pakistan go to the heart of democratic legitimacy. Whether one agrees with the opposition's claims or not, the persistence of these demands show just how deep the crisis of trust runs, which the state has failed to address convincingly. This pushback is unfolding against a backdrop of legislative and administrative decisions that have excluded a popular political force and confined the judiciary. In such circumstances, calls for shutdowns and wheel-jam strikes are a double-edged sword. While they are a time-tested form of protest, they also risk deepening economic pain for ordinary citizens already struggling to stay afloat. The opposition must deal with this tension if it wishes to broaden, rather than alienate, public support.

Mobilisation through strikes and symbolic "Black Days" can keep discontent alive, but it is not a substitute for a credible political pathway forward. History shows that such an approach only radicalises opposition and entrenches instability. Pakistan's recent political climate is defined by a dangerous stalemate: an incumbent order clinging to procedural authority, and an opposition questioning the very foundations of that authority. Breaking this deadlock requires serious, open-minded dialogue for a way forward that cannot be sought without having PTI at the table.