The latest rifts and differences surfaced within Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) over several issues has put a question mark on the future of the alliance as it has failed to move forward on a joint strategy.
PDM an alliance of the 11 parties was formed to oust the government of Imran Khan through country-wide protests & en-mass resignations.
The option of en-mass resignations got a hit when some political parties including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed reservations over the resignations from the assemblies.
However, instead of launching an effective campaign against the PTI government, the opposition alliance failed even to bring all the parties of the alliance on the same page. This has given way to doubt the real motives and goals of the alliance, by the political experts.
The political observers have been criticizing PDM leadership for its failure to address their own issues and differences over many issues including en-mass resignations before the senate elections and boycotting by-elections across the country.
Expressing reluctance the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has asked the alliance to move carefully keeping in mind the consequences of resignations. Bilawal Bhutto in his recent media talk has clearly shown hesitancy while resting the final decision on the issue with the central executive committee instead of the alliance.
PPP believes that resigning from the assemblies and boycotting the senate or by-elections would be an extreme decision that will benefit the government side.
The rifts within the alliance deepened when the PPP’s Central Executive Committee decided that they will resign from the assemblies on the condition if PML-N’s Chief Nawaz Sharif returns to the country and lead the movement against the government.
On the other hand, rest of the political parties including; Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and particularly Maulana Fazl Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-i- Islam (JUI) have taken hard line against Imran Khan Government and insisting that all the parties of the PDM should resignation from the assemblies and topple the PTI government.
It must be noted that Maulana Fazl Rehman is trying hard to convince the opposition parties for en-mass resignations, but has failed to address the issues within his own faction as Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani after accusing Maulana Fazl of launching his own career.
While talking to Voice of KP, Shafqat Ali an Islamabad-based senior journalist said that differences surfaced within PDM ranks just before the death anniversary of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto at Garhi Khuda Bakhash when PDM Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not attend the ceremony.
Shafqat Ali believes that Maulana’s decision not to attend the anniversary gathering had something to do with local rivalries between JUI (F) and PPP as there are also rumours that Fazlur Rehman and PPP leadership differed sharply over the strategy of the Alliance especially on the issue of resignations.
Fawad Yousafzai a senior journalist who has been watching the political situation very closely said that the future of PDM looks dark as they even are not able to bring all the parties of the alliance on the same page over several issues. He stated that PDM will soon lose its trust among the masses if it failed to keep its promise of en-mass resignations which seems impossible.
