With the postponement of the planned long march by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) the differences within the opposition have come to the fore. The march was supposed to start later this month, but the opposition alliance could not agree on the issue of resignations from the assemblies before the march. What has happened was not entirely unexpected. It is now quite obvious that the PDM is deeply divided, with the PPP standing on one side and nine other parties on the other. Ironically enough, the PPP had played a key role in setting up the opposition alliance on the basis that its presence could help exert pressure on the government. While the leader of the alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rahman of the JUI-F, continues to seek resignation of all major parties from the assemblies, the PPP is the sole party which remains adamant that it cannot go for this and has sought time to take a verdict from its Central Executive Committee. Most political analysts and observers understand that the PPP is the only party which would lose a provincial government were it to resign from assemblies. At present, it hangs on to the Sindh government with some strength. It has no hope of forming a government in the centre and from its point of view, with Asif Ali Zardari always seen as a shrewd political player, there would be no reason for it to risk its government in Sindh.
The scenes at the PDM meeting on Tuesday were a clear representation of the divide within the alliance, with Maulana Fazlur Rahman leaving without announcing a date for the Long March until the PPP decided on resignations. This whole situation takes us back to a decade ago or more when in 2007 Maulana Fazl was placed in the same position by the Jamaat-e-Islami under Qazi Hussain Ahmad. Qazi Hussain demanded that the JUI-F resign from the National Assembly, while JUI-F did not wish to do so. In the end, Qazi Hussain Ahmad resigned alone. These then are the realities of power politics. Those in power obviously do not wish to lose even a fraction of it or give up what they have. There is also a question now over whether the Long March can go ahead at all. Without the full participation of parties, the idea of the Long March becomes more difficult.
To add to the lines of division, Zardari has also demanded that Mian Nawaz Sharif return to the country. Maryam Nawaz has said this would put her father in danger. We cannot say if this is true, with Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed offering on the same day that the government could arrange a travel document for Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan since his passport has expired. But the divisions are now obvious. The alliance which had united for the Senate polls is now split around fairly logical lines. This could have been predicted even before the PDM was formed. And with the PPP moving away from some of its original stances, it is obvious the alliance cannot remain together. This should be a rather happy occasion for the ruling party, which gets a more open field in which to play during the coming months. This is now a time for reflection for the PDM.