PDM and art of politics

Politics is an art. Every major political party has a second and third chain of command who takes an aggressive tone and there are those known for their gentle tone and reconciliatory attitude. Usually, the second command has a soft tone but there are some who can adopt a softer tone like Khawaja Saad Rafique or Khawaja Asif. While the leadership of the third row is usually warm-blooded, it also contains amicable individuals tasked with defending party policy.

If the situation arises such as during the Panama scandal, then these soft-spoken second-line leaders are pushed back and the combat force is pushed forward. It depends on the party when leaders like Ahsan Iqbal and Khurram Dastgir have to be put forward when they have to be called back and others like Daniyal Aziz and Talal Chaudhry are let loose. When even they have to be recalled, the leader himself has to come forward with a harsh tone. When the leader himself decides to play an offensive inning, he must stop others as it might spoil the whole game for him.

When Nawaz Sharif took an aggressive stance after being dismissed as prime minister, he pushed back Maryam Nawaz and others while he was in the country. And now that he is playing offensive innings from London, Maryam Nawaz has taken an aggressive presence on the field. She is doing much of the talking standing in the fields while Nawaz Sharif has confined himself to the stands.

Nawaz Sharif is making provocative speeches only on important occasions to show that Maryam’s harsh tone is his own. If Nawaz Sharif had been in Pakistan during this period, he would have led the movement and Maryam would have remained silent. With this in mind, let us now examine the artistic use of both soft and agressive attitudes to achieve the goals of the current PDM movement.

If we look at the PDM as a unit, we have to look closely at identifying its soft and aggressive tones according to the political norm. It is abundantly clear that Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz are the hardliners. Bilawal is taking the middle route with a softened tone in one speech and a harsh one in another. Occasionally, with conversations or interviews with the media, he gives a signal providing the impression of a rift within the opposition camp and moulds himself according to the situation. Zardari is the calmest who has been keeping his phone close and waiting for the right moment.

The aggressive stance has forced the rival to come to the negotiating table to such an extent that the PDM is not even calling for dialogue but the rival is constantly insisting on it. Muhammad Ali Durrani, a representative of the establishment, is waving a white flag and sending messages to both sides. It is also being reported that Zardari has received a call which he kept close to the beginning of the movement and had taken both Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman into confidence.

Zardari has given the task of moving matters forward in case of in-house changed and has deferred the option of resignations. Those pointing out the possibility of the PDM collapsing seem ignorant of the art of politics.

The PDM has already made it clear that its movement is against those who brought Imran Khan and has set its sights on them. In this game of chess, the PDM is giving the impression of breaking first and will also checkmate.

The PDM is giving the impression that its tone is being softened by following the PPP’s stance, but everything is going as planned. If the promise of ‘impartiality’ made to Zardari is kept, there can be an in-house change in both Punjab and the Centre through a no-confidence motion. In the next phase, the grand dialogue will begin. Zardari and the PPP will have the option to tell the caller to keep their promise or Nawaz Sharif and the PDM leadership will return to the rhetoric. Let’s hope there is no deception as matters have reached a critical juncture.

By mid-February, there will be a no-confidence motion in both Punjab and the federation and Imran Khan’s fragile government will be shattered. The prime minister cannot fry foul as he will be ousted through a democratic process. One way for Imran Khan to avoid this is to resign. The PTI cannot bring in a new prime minister because those who “manage” it are claiming to be neutral. The second option Imran Khan has is to dissolve the assembly. The PDM will rejoice and there will be a celebration.