- A test of nerve for the PTI
In his virtual address to the PDM leaders on September 20, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif maintained that the opposition’s struggle was against those who brought Prime Minister Imran Khan into power by rigging the 2018 elections. On Wednesday he once again talked about ‘someone else’ who is running Parliament. A cautious Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, however, affirmed that the Speaker and the government run Parliament, though they have not discussed the problems of the people even once during the last two years. In days to come the PDM leaders might not be as outspoken as the London-based Mr Sharif. They can however justifiably demand that all institutions and government departments need to remain within their limits as defined in the Constitution. They may also continue to criticize Mr Khan for handing over the PM’s responsibility to the establishment to persuade the opposition over the proposed status of Gilgit-Baltistan.
The reservations expressed publicly by veteran PML(N) leader Khwaja Asif about former President Asif Ali Zardari amounted to wrecking the alliance at the very start and thus serving the cause of the powers that the PDM intends to fight. Mr Sharif has promptly dissociated himself from Khwaja Asif’s statement, saying he had a great deal of respect for Mr Zardari. Unless outbursts of the sort are duly punished, the PDM could collapse amidst mutual wrangling.
Mr Sharif was overly optimistic as he maintained that if the nation stayed together “the change may take place within weeks.” This is a big ‘if,’ as in Punjab, which is going to be the major battlefield, those who vote for PML(N) are not used to street agitation while the PPP had lost jiyalas during its tenure. Much will depend on whether the PDM chooses targets realistically and remains united.
Arresting PDM leaders won’t help the government. With Shahbaz Sharif in NAB’s custody, the PML(N)’s leadership has been taken over by a more radical Nawaz. With a second virtual address to the party’s Central Working Committee in two days, Mr Sharif has accused Mr Khan of worsening the plight of common man on account of incompetence. What is more, he has again blamed the establishment for bringing him to power.