Upshot of new scenario: Opposition in high spirits, govt downcast for the first time

ISLAMABAD: For the first time since the present government came to office 39 months ago, the opposition parties are in high spirits and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the senior partner of the ruling coalition, is feeling downcast due to the changes on the national horizon.

The opposition parties, particularly the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has faced the relentless accountability it has never been subjected to in its history, believe that they have found some breathing space that is a unique phenomenon for them not only after the 2018 general elections but even a couple of years before this electoral exercise. They think that the space now available to them will expand with the passage of time and contract for the PTI.

After several senior PMLN leaders, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) figures conspicuously on the accountability chart with some of its topmost stalwarts on the receiving end of the process. This period, which has exceeded three years, has been extremely harsh for the prominent leaders of both the major opposition political parties. They now sense that good days might return for them not in the distant future.

The opposition has a number of allies in its fold. Although the PPP, which had to exit the PDM sometime back for reneging on its solemn commitment about the Senate elections, had been exchanging barbs with the multi-party alliance, it is now cooperating with the grouping at least within the parliament as far as resistance against the government is concerned.

On the other hand, the PTI-led government also has allies like the PMLQ, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), but they are not seen as dependable for the senior partner. Everyone, including the PTI, knows well that these smaller parties are not free agents. Currently, they don’t share the dejection that has befallen the PTI. For now, it is premature to hazard a guess about their relations with the PTI in the next general elections. However, they have been sharing the spoils of office with the PTI since 2018 when they had decided to cooperate with it to put together the current set-up.

The PMLQ, MQMP and GDA became allies of the PTI only to cobble together the government. As a matter of policy, the PTI has always preferred a solo flight. But it had to take them along to make up for the deficit of votes required for the formation of a government. Earlier, the PTI used to harangue them, specifically the PMLQ and MQMP.

On the contrary, at least two PMD constituents, the PMLN and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) had been partners for many years and their cooperation had stood the test of time. Although their relations with the PPP had been good or bad at different times, they had maintained a working relationship to join hands on sundry issues in the past.

It was because of the close cooperation and coordination between the PDM and PPP that their joint efforts succeeded in defeating the government twice on a single day in the National Assembly. While Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal may not have an ideal bond for quite some time, the PPP chief has developed good ties with PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif.

“We had called back all MPs who happened to be abroad for the joint session of the parliament, later postponed by the government fearing another defeat at the hands of the opposition so that we have all our numbers present during voting on the legislative business,” prominent PMLN leader and former Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq told The News.

Ishaq Dar, who is in London and had not taken oath as a senator due to a Supreme Court order, and Akhtar Mengal, who is in Dubai in connection with the treatment of his ailing wife, were not available. PMLN leader Pervez Malik recently passed away.

The combined opposition has also opened communication channels with the MQMP, PMLQ and GDA to explain what kind of damaging bills the government wants to push through the joint parliamentary session. The approach was meant to drive a further wedge between them and the government.

The abrupt postponement of the joint sitting clearly reflected the panic that has struck the government circles particularly in the wake of its allies’ refusal to vote for contentious bills relating to the electronic voting machines (EVMs), i-voting for overseas Pakistanis etc. The opposition considered this as its triumph.

Since Imran Khan took over as the prime minister in August 2018, the opposition parties have never breathed easily and have always been harassed, hounded and beleaguered because of the relentless actions of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other state organizations. During this period, the government has been dubbing the opposition leaders as looters, plunderers and cheaters. Because of this policy, political stability has remained a dream and several national actions that could have been unanimously taken up have not been possible. Even having a mere working relationship with the opposition was impossible for this government.

Now, the cornered government wants Speaker Asad Qaiser to do the government’s bidding and rope in the opposition to evolve a consensus on its choice legislative agenda. But the other side wants everything in black and white from the speaker so that the government is unable to later claim that the opposition’s actual objective behind the parleys was to get an NRO as it has done umpteen times in the past.