PTI rally

There is a danger in reading too much into a single successful political rally. When Imran Khan and the PTI took Lahore and Karachi by storm in 2011, it was seen as a sign that the party would be a serious contender in the next elections. Subsequent infighting and the enduring popularity of the PML-N made the rallies look like a false dawn. Now the PTI juggernaut has rolled back into Lahore, with another successful rally on Pakistan Day. Once again, it would be a mistake to make bold predictions on the basis of this single rally. All we know for sure is that the PTI has passionate supporters, many drawn from the burgeoning youth constituency. That means the party will certainly be competitive come election time but tells us very little about the quality of candidates the party will be putting up and whether the PTI has the organisational skills to match the more established parties.

Perhaps, the more significant development has been the PTI agreeing to a seat-adjustment formula with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). This will certainly make the PTI a stronger party at the polls and perhaps, allow it to win a few more seats with the JI support. But the PTI must be asked if the cost is worth the benefit. Imran Khan has had to ward off questions about his supposed sympathies for the militants. He has quite rightly pointed out that opposing drone attacks and favouring peace talks with militants does not make him a Taliban sympathiser. But the JI is openly sympathetic to many of the aims, if not the tactics, of the militants and now the PTI has chosen to ally with it.

The PTI-JI combine will certainly be an electoral force to reckon with, although not one that can attain power without forming a coalition with either the PPP or the PML-N. So far, Imran Khan has been adamant that he will not join with either party but his idealism may soon be put to test. Verve, principles and rhetoric are all well and good when it comes to rallies but political realities may soon force the PTI to decide if it is willing to compromise to stay relevant.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2013.