Political tussle

We are locked in a political tussle, which appears to be becoming more and more complicated by the day. The PTI had until a few weeks ago seemed to have gained some strength as the PDM opposition alliance faded away. However, following the defeat in LG polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during which it lost the contest for mayor in all four major towns and most of the seats up at the tehsil level, the party has been weakened. It has also made a poor showing during the by-elections held after 2018 and showing very little signs of the kind of support it had put together in 2018. The different reasons put forward by various party leaders for the debacle in the KP polls also shows a disunited party. Leader Imran Khan has blamed the problems on poor candidate selection and suggested he will step in himself for the next phase of polling to help make choices, while key party leaders have blamed the defeat on a lack of unity and on the high rate of inflation which has angered people across the country. The next phase of polling in the KP will be tough for the PTI given that it comes in districts where the PML-N and religious parties are traditionally on their strongest ground.

But the opposition parties too are not clear about precisely what lies ahead for them. The PML-N had opted to partner with the JUI-F in KP. But it's real problems are internal. In the first place, there is a question over who the party leader will be, with more suggestions stating that Shahbaz Sharif would take the place of leader should the party win the top office in the land. However, Mariam Nawaz Sharif has said the final choice would be made by her father. The divide within the PML-N could damage it badly. At the same time, the PPP has refused to back down on its continued struggle to regain some semblance of power, with Asif Azif Zardari making cryptic hints that he had been offered a deal directly in a meeting with a person or persons he has not named. Demands have been made that he name these people. But political observers say that any deal, if one is to be struck, would need to feature the PML-N as well and perhaps move towards a national government of some kind so that all elements and all provinces can be accommodated. For now, the PTI has to focus on the reasons of its own dismal showing and the reasons why it has suffered so badly in the most recent elections at various tiers.

We should also note, however, as the contests ahead of the 2023 general election heat up, that no party has presented an agenda based on ideology and policy. Instead we are engaged in games of power and the question of who can make a deal most effectively. What we need from our leadership is a clear-cut policy and how inflation, unemployment and other issues including foreign policy are to be managed. These after all are crucial to the people and must be the focus of any upcoming election and the run-up to it.