The opposition parties are in the streets once again with a renewed pledge to give a final push to the present set-up under the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Unlike the past, the opposition parties this time have (moral if not physical) support of the masses, bearing the brunt of the unprecedented inflation, continuous devaluation of the rupee against the US dollar, raise in power tariff and recent back-to-back massive increases in the petroleum fuel prices which have now reached a record level.
The federal government’s 16 October decision to raise the prices of petrol by more than PKR 10 and diesel by over PKR 12 per litre has not only prompted the opposition parties to give a call for the anti-government protests, it has also caused ripples within the ruling coalition.
A number of elected representatives from the treasury are heard admitting in their private conversations they are finding it difficult to defend the government’s economic policies anymore.
Some of them fear public backlash in the near future when the people face the real impact of the recent increases in oil prices on their pockets. Most of them are worried because all this is happening at a time when the next general election is less than two years away.
They know the people are no more ready to buy their theory of putting the blame of everything on the past governments. The migratory birds of our politics, otherwise knowns as “electables” have already started scouting far and wide to find more favourable perches in time for the general election.
Some of the government ministers are also openly admitting that there has been a significant price-hike in the country. Terming it a global phenomenon, they are now claiming that the government will soon announce special measures to counter the rise in the prices of various commodities, particularly the food items.
The government’s recent unpopular decisions to increase prices of electricity and petroleum products have provided an ample opportunity to the opposition parties to take political advantage of the situation and the changing public sentiments against the Tabdeeli Sarkar.
However, the question arises: Will the opposition attempt to mobilise the masses on its own for a premature ouster of the incumbent government or will it continue to look for behind-the-scenes nod from the real power players in the country?
The opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) took the lead in announcing protests against the government over unbridled inflation and hike in petroleum and electricity prices compelling the others, including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP), and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), to give a call their own protest rallies in several parts of the country.
Terming it a ‘continuation of the mini-budgets’, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif lashed out at the government for the petrol price hike and the recent 14 percent increase in electricity prices. He called for the prime minister’s resignation for what he called crushing people to death with inflation.
“Imran should accept his own assessment and resign instead of clinging on to the office of prime minister,” Mr Shahbaz said, adding that people were screaming and cursing the government.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in a tweet, stated: “The PTI has brought a tsunami of inflation in the country by bringing [prices of] petroleum products to the highest level in the history of the country.
“The rise in petrol and diesel prices a day after the hike in electricity prices proves that Imran Khan is an anti-people prime minister”.
It was after the approval of the central committee of the PDM to the longstanding demand of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to launch a countrywide agitation against the government on 18 October 2021 that the PDM finally kicked off its nationwide protest from various cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, and Lahore.
The PPP launched its own campaign from Islamabad and Karachi. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah himself participated in one of the protest demonstrations. The PDM has so far announced that it will stage protests only in big cities and will take a decision about holding public meetings or a long march at the later stage.
Announcing the decisions taken during the meeting of party heads of the component parties of the PDM, Maulana Fazlur Rehman told the media that the coalition planned a series of protests and rallies at the district level across the country from 20 October against runaway inflation and increasing cost of essential items.
“The PDM will lead rallies and demonstrations, stand shoulder to shoulder with people and get them their due rights,” the Maulana reportedly stated, adding the coalition would gradually turn up the heat by holding wheel-jam strikes and eventually a long march.
On this occasion, he reiterated the call for fresh general elections in the country. He voiced his opposition to the idea of holding the local government elections, maintaining there was no reason to hold these elections when there was no legitimate government in the country.
Talking informally to reporters in Islamabad a day after the resignation of Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani, JUI-F secretary general Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said change had arrived in the country and those in power should brace for more of it.
To a question, Haideri alleged that the military establishment was supporting the outgoing Balochistan chief minister, but it failed to save him. “Pindi was supporting [Jam Kamal] but in the end, it failed”, said Mr Haideri when asked if the establishment had any role in the changes taking place in Balochistan.
Although the JUI-F senator passed these remarks in a lighter vein and in response to a question, political analysts find the observation interesting in the wake of the recent controversy over the appointment of the director general (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
There is a general belief among some of the political experts that the military establishment is no more interested in supporting the present set-up as there is resentment within the army’s ranks over the controversy over the appointment of the DG ISI which is a very sensitive post.
They believe that the establishment has stopped supporting the present set-up, which is why it did not lift a finger to defend Jam Kamal’s government in Balochistan; and that it will likewise remain aloof it similar challenges are mounted against any other government, provincial or federal.
It was perhaps in this context that the PPP has once again asked the PML-N to consider no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, saying the time was now conducive for such a move.
“To get rid of Imran Khan, a no-confidence motion will have to be tabled,” said PPP information secretary and MNA Shazia Marri in a statement. “Opposition Leader [Shahbaz Sharif] should immediately bring a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan”.
Marri said that first a no-trust motion should be moved against Mr Buzdar as it would be easier to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan after the Punjab chief minister’s ouster.
The PPP had quit the PDM in March this year due to differences over en masse resignations from the assemblies. At the time, it had suggested to the PDM leadership to consider no-confidence motions not only against the Prime Minister but also against the National Assembly Speaker and the Punjab Chief Minister.
The PPP had advocated opening talks with the PML-Q, an ally of the ruling PTI, to make a success of move, but the PML-N rejected the idea out of hand, declaring it could not join hands with the PML-Q because of its support for military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf.
In another significant development, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif publicly distanced himself from the slogans raised against an army general at the PDM’s protest rally in Faisalabad and declared that whosoever had raised the slogans had no link with the party.
“Sloganeering against heads of various wings of the armed forces in public meetings is neither in the national interest nor should it be allowed at any cost (particularly) in the present international perspective in which a new cold war is about to engulf the region”, Mr Sharif reportedly stated, while giving a message to the party leaders and workers not to target the establishment during the ongoing protests against the price-hike.
The political analysts are of the view that the next few weeks are crucial for Prime Minister Imran Khan and if he fails to come out with any announcement to provide relief to the common man, it will become a challenging task for the present coalition government to complete its five-year term.
Speaking at a news conference on 24 October, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed downplayed the opposition’s latest protest call, saying that the parties have in fact started their campaign for the next elections which are just 22 months away.
He also indirectly asked the nation to wait until the next budget, saying that the PTI government would announce an election budget to provide relief to the people. However, it seems the nation’s patience is running out and the masses are unlikely to hold their peace till the next budget, due in June 2022.
