JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the PDM president, said at a press talk that the group’s leadership would meet in Islamabad on August 21 to discuss implementing the recommendations made this week. He also said the group would hold a rally in Karachi towards the end of the month. PDM chief Fazlur Rehman launched the usual barrage of the ‘fake’ PTI government having failed on every front inside and outside the country, leaving Pakistan “globally isolated.” He maintained that Pakistan’s prestige had been dented when it was not allowed to participate in the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan.
He accused the government of hiding the facts from Parliament. The way the government treats Parliament can in fact be gauged from the current performance of the Lower House, which has failed to perform any useful business during almost a whole month as its sittings frequently ended abruptly due to lack of quorum. On Tuesday, the National Assembly failed to take up the legislative agenda due to the absence of the Cabinet members.The PDM is apparently concerned over the announcements of mega-development schemes which have led many to conclude that the government is likely to hold early elections. As most of the funds are to be spent on projects in Karachi and interior Sindh directly by the federal government, this has sent alarm bells ringing within the PPP high command, which has reportedly offered the PML(N) the slots of PM and Punjab CM in return for jointly launching a no-confidence move.
On the election front, it appears the PDM is focusing on electronic voting machines (EVM), which rank high on the PTI’s wishlist but have been a cause of great concern for opposition parties. This, again, is a strong issue to focus on, since mistrust of EVMs is a global phenomenon, and some countries, including ‘strong’ democracies in Europe, have outright banned several types of EVMs, citing the potential for tampering. Unfortunately, the hard public stance of opposing all of the PTI’s proposed election reforms is going to be problematic for other PDM members.
The PDM may have therefore decided to find fresh relevance for itself but without a clear objective and an intended outcome, it may appear to be ‘full of sound and fury signifying nothing’. It is now fairly clear that the government is well on its way to completing its five-year term without having to face any credible existential threat. The PDM can therefore amplify its criticism of the government through its platform, and perhaps attempt to create a fresh narrative to counter the government’s increasing confidence, but it does not have any tools by which to weaken the government. The only available option is the one that the PPP leadership has often been mentioning about bringing about an in-house change in Punjab. However, the PML-N is not interested in this option and therefore it is unlikely that the PDM will pursue it with any level of seriousness.
Shafaqna Pakistan
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