The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) held its second political gathering in Karachi. This time around the harshest criticism came from Maryam Nawaz who lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan for tarnishing the image of the army to hide behind his own failures.
For the second time within a week, Maryam Nawaz, Bilawal Bhutto and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman were seen on stage together. The prime minister had vowed to get tougher with the opposition and make all possible efforts to bring Nawaz Sharif back to the country. The opposition has been maligning state institutions and there are speculations of retribution.
Maryam chided the prime minister claiming that “children have no role in the fight between elders”, echoing the narrative by Nawaz Sharif that his real fight was not with Imran Khan but those whom he claims brought him to power. Maryam also said the government and the military leadership were flustered by Nawaz Sharif’s speeches and had banned them from media.
Maryam has taken up arms against the government and gave a stern warning for even considering banning the PML-N. This has catapulted her as the topmost opposition leader which has the potential to challenge Imran Khan. It may seem that she has crossed the line in the open criticism and only time will tell if she succeeds or will be victim of political vendetta.
Bilawal has been careful not to tread the line as Maryam or Nawaz Sharif and focus on criticizing Imran Khan’s government. The JUI-F chief would be satisfied that the opposition on the same page and a united opposition would be more emboldened than a single party. He received a humbling in the Azadi March and is now relieved to see large crowds in their quest to oust his arch political rival.
There is strength in numbers. As long as the opposition’s alliance remains intact, it will prove to be a threat to PTI government. The alliance may be unnatural and there might be scepticism whether it would make a difference but it surely impacted Imran Khan. As Bilawal said that even powerful dictators have fallen when the masses rose against him and this will be a decisive fight. But the political history shows that such movements seldom achieve the desired results.
