PTI’s corruption narrative and Catch-22 situation for PPP, PML-N: How PTI successfully divides opposition and rules

ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif’s latest conviction and the incriminating nature of JIT’s report on fake accounts against Asif Ali Zardari and others have benefitted the politics of ruling PTI as the chances of two leading opposition parties - PPP and PML-N- getting united as ‘victim’ of ‘political witch-hunt’ are rare.

Both the PPP and PML-N are cautious not to give any negative reaction against each other over these latest developments targeting their topmost leadership but at the same time they are careful not to show each other’s leader as ‘victim’.

Sources said that despite even the recent conviction of Nawaz Sharif by the accountability court, the PML-N in particular does not want to be bracketed with the PPP in defending Asif Ali Zardari in the light of what the JIT report has revealed.

The PML-N fears that joining hands with the PPP on the issue of corruption will further the PTI’s narrative that both parties are corrupt and their top leaders are looters and plunderers of nation’s wealth.

Officially, the PML-N view is that the JIT has given its report while notices have been issued by the Supreme Court to all concerned including PPP’s top leadership. The PML-N spokesperson Marryium Aurengzeb when contacted said that her party is awaiting to see how the PPP leadership responds to the accusations levelled against it in the JIT report.

The PPP as a political entity did not give any response to the latest conviction of Nawaz Sharif by the accountability court. Farhatullah Babar when contacted confirmed that the PPP did not issue any formal statement on Nawaz’ conviction. He, however, said that the PPP is opposed to the political victimisation of the opposition.

In his personal capacity, however, Farhatullah Babar said that in Nawaz Sharif’s case, justice does not appear to have been done. He said that the top leaders of political parties are being targeted in the garb of accountability.

In his recent tweet, Babar wrote, “Info Min+ Accountability Adviser hold joint press conference to explain Nawaz’ conviction and JIT report. If sentencing & conviction had any credibility, they wouldn’t have been screaming so loudly and let people judge for themselves.”

There is no such voice heard so far from within the PML-N to defend Zardari in the backdrop of JIT’s report. Instead in their background discussions the PML-N leaders take the JIT report against Asif Ali Zardari and others as severe and serious. “It is mindboggling and blatant,” a PML-N leader commented on condition of not being named.

The PML-N leader said that the N-league does not want to be compared with the PPP in corruption. He feared “we will be compared” if the PML-N joins hands with the PPP to protest the conviction of Nawaz and JIT’s charges against Zardari together.

In view of this situation, the PTI despite its razor thin majority in the National Assembly does not have any serious threat from the opposition. There is neither any deliberation going on between the PPP and PML-N about any joint agitation nor there is any consideration for in-house change as reflected in a statement of a PML-N leader.

Interestingly, the PTI is smartly playing the card of corruption against both the PML-N and the PPP and portray their leaders as equal in corruption. This narrative of the PTI works well in making the PPP and PML-N hesitant to take a unified stance and go for agitation.

If they join hands against the government, the PTI knows it will further its narrative that both the PPP and PML-N are corrupt and are together to save their corruption.