Opposition parties in Pakistan often hold meetings to unite and launch a joint movement against the government of the time. In the present day, some main opposition parties are meeting only to foil or delay the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F (JUI-F) led dharna plan, and they are doing so for all the right reasons. JUI-F was mostly banking on the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) which two weeks ago announced full participation. The Pakistan People’s Party, however, showed no eagerness at any point to take part in dharna politics, citing the lessons learnt from a similar siege of Islamabad by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in 2014, which ended in smoke despite the occupation of the Constitution Avenue for months. Three days ago, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif. The ensuing development happened in the shape of a meeting between JUI-F and PML-N leadership where both parties agreed to defer the protest plan for now. The JUI-F head said their central executive committee will take up PML-N’s proposal to defer until November. PML-N seeks more time to reach out to its rank and file and other opposition parties so that the march on Islamabad shows its full force. The real reason behind PML-N’s reluctance is the lack of plan-B. The architect of the dharna – JUI-F – is unaware of the consequences of the failure or success of the dharna.
The interim period provides a time for reflection for both the opposition and the government. The opposition needs to consider what it can realistically achieve. If it seeks to topple the PTI government, it should hardly find any buyers in pro-democracy corridors. If it wants to pressure the government to announce relief for the inflation-stricken public, the opposition has every right to mount pressure on the government, both inside and outside parliament. As for the government, it needs to turn its attention to record high tax and interest rates, depreciating currency and external and internal deficits. The moment of hike in growth and job opportunities has yet to hit the market. Already, one year down the road, the government refuses to shed its container-style politics. This denial may not serve it well for too long.
