Public opinion

Adding to the PTI’s legal fortunes is the Islamabad High Court (IHC) verdict suspending PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case. The court, however, has directed Imran to ensure he appears before the lower court on March 13. This verdict will no doubt lead to more musings by political commentators over the former prime minister’s luck with somehow managing to stay out of jail. The high court’s verdict comes as the PTI prepares for what it sees as election soon in Punjab, all the while as Imran Khan makes vague references to wanting to talk to the establishment. True to the party’s ways, however, now the PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry has said that Imran has “never made any request” to meet the current COAS or “any of his representatives”. Whatever the case, we seem to be stuck in a forever loop: court cases on Imran that go nowhere; arrests that are threatened and taken back; a government looking increasingly tired. While it may be too early to say which way the winds will eventually blow, in the game of perceptions one party is leading the way.

If only to reiterate this point, one recent survey – Gallup Pakistan’s Public Pulse Report for the first 20 days of February 2023 – has said that the PDM is getting the blame for inflation and economic instability in the country as 62 per cent Pakistanis say the PDM rather than the PTI is to be blamed for the current meltdown. While surveys are not necessarily the most accurate predictors of public opinion, this seems to be an opinion that is resonating with political observers of late. In terms of popularity, there is little debate even among partisan political workers that Imran Khan is leading with a margin. Part of it may have to do with the cult of personality but a lot of it also has to do with his party’s ability to not only deflect critique but also to move seamlessly from one handy narrative to another.

In a more interesting question, the same survey says that if a new party were formed containing honest political members and technocrats, 53 per cent of the people would leave their current party and vote for the new one instead. This is a debate that has raged on in the past few weeks in any case, some saying the 'honesty' tag may once again be used to advocate for a technocratic setup. Assuming a survey can give a larger picture, this one should concern all parties. If people in the urban areas of the country are tired of the daily political shenanigans we are subjected to by our politicians, will another new experiment be trotted out? Or is there hope for truly progressive parties to rise in a vacuum that has only been created by the self-serving politics being played by the country’s largest parties at the moment? There is still time to sit on the same table and discuss a reasonable way forward. A country sinking and a people desperate, hungry and tired is not the constituency any politician should be looking forward to.