A number of recent developments clearly point out that the political landscape of the country is changing with the passage of every day, which might have implications for the system and the existing political alignments.
As Prime Minister Imran Khan consulted his close aides in the party over the emerging crisis, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a meeting with the chief of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and head of JUI(F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the joint strategy of the opposition in Parliament for the coming session of Parliament.
This was the first-ever high level contact between the two parties after the PPP bade farewell to the opposition alliance early this year.
The PTI Government has entered in the last two years of its tenure and it was widely anticipated that the Government would move swiftly to implement its agenda and redress the grievances of the general public, who bore the brunt of rising inflation during the first three years of the present set-up.
It is obvious that the Government needs peace of mind to deliver in the remaining period so as to be able to contest the next general election on the basis of its performance.
It is, therefore, feared that the brewing political crisis could divert focus of the Government away from reforms and the welfare agenda and understandably people of Pakistan would be ultimate sufferers.
We have consistently been pleading that every elected government should get a free hand to implement its policies and programmes, allowing the people to decide its fate in the elections on the yardstick of performance and delivery.
However, our history shows none of the governments got a genuine free hand as some of them were destabilized after two/three years and others that completed the term did so under uncertain conditions, badly affecting their performance.
The emerging political crisis can be averted through the process of discussions and dialogue but, at the moment, both the Government and the Opposition have adopted extreme positions.
The Opposition is gradually building pressure on the Government both inside Parliament and the outside while the Government, instead of trying to do damage control, is threatening to ‘beat seriously’ the PDM and media outlets if they ventured towards Islamabad in the form of a long march.
Unfortunately, the warning has come from a serious and sober personality like Federal Minister Asad Umar, which is reflective of the gravity of the situation.
The opposition still seems to be confused whether to intensify pressure through public rallies and the final long march on Islamabad or giving tough time to the Government within Parliament as it did recently resulting in the defeat of the treasury benches on introduction of two bills in the National Assembly, where the Government has the majority.
However, in case it ultimately decides to go for the march, it would be difficult for the authorities to stop it through the use of force and this we witnessed in the case of TLP’s long march.
In every democratic dispensation, the Opposition always remains at the look out to exploit weaknesses of the Government and it is for the Government to defend itself against onslaughts of different sorts.
Unbearable inflation and insistence on the use of electronic voting machines have become a bone of contention among the coalition partners and there are also rumours that some of the members of the PTI too have serious reservations over these issues.
In this backdrop, it is perplexing that the Government, instead of taking measures to arrest the rising inflation, is still persisting with its policy of defending the phenomenon on lame excuses, raising questions as to why it is treading the path of antagonizing the public opinion.
It is legitimately believed that the latest spree of price-hike and economic downslide is linked to the conditions that the Government has agreed with the IMF but still there is no final word about resumption of the aid.
The US dollar on Friday reached an all-time high against the rupee, soaring to Rs176 in the interbank market during intraday trading.
It seems the Government is deliberating allowing the rupee to depreciate as the Advisor on Finance made a statement about further rise in the value of dollar at a time when rupee was stabilizing after revival of Saudi financial support.
It is also naïve to say that income of some segments of the society has increased despite inflation as the entire population minus profiteers and hoarders has been squeezed due to phenomenal price-hike. Only soul-searching followed by concrete action could help overcome the crisis.
