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It was another day of protests for the PDM which is increasingly trying to keep itself relevant as it fails to still come out with its decisive strategy to oust the government. The target this time around was the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which is hearing the long-delayed foreign funding case against the ruling PTI which seems to be in concluding stages.
The crowds at the protest were arguably much smaller than previous gatherings with sporadic rallies by parties converging at the Constitution Avenue outside the ECP’s office. It was also a busy day for Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed as he set up a control room to monitor the situation and reviewed security arrangements. He had been instructed by the prime minister to not stop any opposition members from attending the protest and give them a level playing field. After the end of the protest, Rasheed would be content that the protest was not as he had expected.
The opposition alliance is protesting against the delay in the proceedings against the PTI in the foreign funding case pending before the ECP for nearly six years. Maryam Nawaz has termed it the “biggest fraud in Pakistan’s history” and accused the ECP of being lenient towards the PTI. She also claimed the PTI was receiving funds from India and Israel and had blamed their agents for any illegal funding. The case has certainly given a new front to the opposition to criticize Imran Khan’s government.
On the other hand, the PDM has not given its future course of action whether will contest the Senate elections. The PML-N seems to have in principle stepped back from its decision to resign from assemblies and is now making efforts to convince Maulana Fazlur Rehman. It is not unclear if PDM would form a joint strategy for the elections. What is certain is the PPP has a greater role to play as it has refused to leave the field open for the PTI.
There is also no word on the much-hyped long march to Islamabad. The PDM seems to have lost track of its principal goal and is more focused on the rhetoric against the government. The movement is rudderless and needs to be steered in direction to achieve the desired results.
