Following the PPP and ANP’s decision to resign from all offices of the PDM, a new dimension to opposition politics in the country has been added, one which does not bode well for any of the parties involved. That the deterioration in relations between the PPP and PML(N) began solely due to a disagreement over strategy was easily resolvable had it not been for the overinflated egos of the leadership involved. The PML(N) and JUI(F), who are still working together, wanted to adopt a more aggressive approach to send the government packing by resigning from assemblies and hitting the streets. The PPP on the other hand favoured the parliamentary route, that of winning elections and bringing a vote of no-confidence against the PM in the Lower House. Had cooler heads prevailed, a middle ground could have been found, where a combination of well attended rallies, supporting each other in elections while keeping the threat of resigning from assemblies dangling over the government’s head, would have been an effective approach.
Tears in the alliance began to show when harsh words were exchanged in meetings and phone calls from senior leaders were not taken by counterparts. The final blow was dealt by the PDM itself when it issued a show-cause notice to the PPP and ANP for seeking the support of BAP, a government ally, in the recent Senate elections. It would have been better if the same was discussed in a private meeting with all present rather than through a public display of superiority that was bound to receive the response it did with Bilawal Bhutto tearing up the notice during his party’s CEC meeting.
This breakup of PDM is bound to hurt all involved in the medium to long term. The government that was visibly feeling the pressure of the opposition alliance gaining momentum now looks relatively at ease. Through the PDM, the PPP had a good opportunity to perhaps once again establish itself as a prominent player in Punjab’s politics as the joint rallies held with the audience supplied by the PML(N) proved to be a beneficial platform that will no longer be available. JUI(F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has asked both the PPP and ANP to review their decision to resign from the PDM, but given what has transpired so far, any reconciliation seems quite unlikely.
