HEAD of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that the Alliance would make only one demand during its planned long march and sit-in from 26 March — fresh elections since this government is not acceptable. In an interview, he said all opposition parties, included in the alliance, are in agreement on the issue of long march and sit-in and duration of the event would be decided as per prevailing situation at that time.
Only time will tell the impact of the proposed long march but there is a general impression that the protest campaign of the opposition has lost its steam and it was resorting to different tactics just to keep it relevant in the arena of politics. It failed to pressurize the Government to resign by January 31 and the long march is unlikely to produce the desired results if seen in the backdrop of similar marches and sit-ins by different political parties and pressure groups in the past. In this case, it might be pointed out that the fasting month would fast be approaching after March 26 and therefore, it would be next to impossible for the opposition parties to maintain the momentum of the protest campaign. As for demand for fresh elections, the opposition is entitled to its viewpoint but the vicious cycle of destabilization of every elected government must now come to an end.
If destabilization efforts of the past were wrong then how can such an attempt now be considered justified. There is no doubt that the governance was not as good as it should have been but it also doesn’t mean that a government with a mandate for five years should be forced to resign midway. It is the responsibility and role of the opposition to pinpoint weaknesses and failures of the government but it should play its part while remaining strictly within the spirit of the Constitution and norms of democracy.
