Mohsin Hassan
Is PDM heading towards breakdown? A detailed and critical analysis of the
sessions, meetings and rallies by the opposition parities’ leaders of the newly
formed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leads to the conclusion that the
alliance negated its core agenda adopted at the very outset of it launch or
adopted during their own terms of government or share in it. The creation of
National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the charges against Asif Ali Zardari and
blames on each other are a few examples.
Further dents are visibly appearing as PTM’s MohsinDawarhas announced that he is
not affiliated with the PDM, because he has continuously been ignored. Whereas
Gen (retd) Abdul Baldir and former Chief Minister of BalochistanSanaullahZehri
have already left the alliance. It is now clear that the PML-N leadership,
despite an opportunity arising out of the sad demise of the Nawaz Sharif’s
mother, is not returning to Pakistan; this has caused a major psychological and
moral dent to the PML-N Quaid in particular and the PDM in general. “Nothing can
be more sacred and important for a man than his parents”, they observe, but by
not accompanying with her body, he has almost alienated himself from political
arena of future.
Likewise, Bilawal Bhutto has contracted coronavirus, right at a time when his
sister was going to wed and he has just come back from a busy election campaign
in Gilgit-Baltistan. The fact that the PDM had defied all requests and SOPs to
save the leaders and their followers from the deadly demon, which has now
resulted in many contracting Covid-19 positive. This has left a resentful mark
in the eyes of general public.
FazlurRehman of JUI, Zardari of PPP, Maryam Nawaz of PML-N, Asfandyar of ANP,
MehmoodAchakzai of PKMAP and six other opposition parties forming the PDM are
the most seasoned and experienced politicians of our country. But, together they
have made a serious political blunder by continuing adamantly holding public
gatherings at the cost of lives of the general public amid the vast and wide
spread of deadly coronavirus. This is something which they shouldn’t have
insisted upon only in defiance of the government. Somebody in the PDM should
have told them that coronavirus is neither political nor does relate to PTI. It
is threat to everybody’s life. It attacks lethally at gatherings and inflicts
heavy casualties like it did in Italy and Iran. Same has happened with Bilawal
Bhutto, and one wishes that he may recover soon, come healthy and sound.
The second wave of coronavirus is spreading at intense pace due to which more
than 50 deaths are being recorded daily, averagely. It may take more than six
months to receive the vaccine and only solution left is the safety measures
which the PDM is adamantly ignoring. Yes, they may not accept it because it’s
against their political ego, but they must kindly understand that the common
sense directly relates to the lives of innocent people. Their gathering in large
numbers, at your call, for your vested interests, will put their life at risk of
death as the resurge of coronavirus is already playing havoc due to mishandlings
by the government. This is like going insane to fulfilling venomous objectives.
Playing with people’s life is a deliberate attempt to obliterate masses – for
the sake of no return. If PDM continues to doing so, and the cases of
coronavirus contract increase manifold, the public sentiment will vote against
them, which will obviously be a political death of PDM.
This ‘happy’ marriage of convenience by opposition’s political parties finds it
difficult to proceed further under MaulanaFazlurRehman, whose agenda is to talk
against the state institutions only. All the political parties are losing their
vote banks due to the statements of MaulanaFazlurRehman, who is said to have
close relations with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Moreover, the opposition
parties have accepted MaulanaFazlurRehman’s leadership for a political
convenience, they are cashing in on FazlurRehman’s grievances as well sentiments
against the government. FazlurRehman also knows it – so there stays lack of
trust in between everyone. MaulanaFazlurRehman may have a political clout
because of his acumen in the affairs, but he has not a leadership quality as
such. The leaders of Nawaz Sharif team and Zardari-led PPP understand this fact
but they might be using him as the PDM head for their own political convenience.
On the other hand, however, aforeign news service, which has a record of
accurate, impartial, independent journalism, has in its one of the articles on
MaulanaFazl-led PDM surprisingly given aview that seems contrary to its
tradition; there are so many factual mistakes and outright misstatements. While
writing about the arrest of NS’s son-in-law the article forgets to mention that
he did violate law by disrespecting the Quaid’s mausoleum. It also
deplores‘censorship’ onMohsinDawar’s speeches, but misses that the PML-N had
itself not invited him to the rally, while FazlurRehman stops him from attending
PDM meetings. Regarding banning NS’s speeches live, why not the same can be
questioned about Trump’s allegations, which Twitter and TV have stopped to cover
live? Why should there be double standards when the content of NS’ allegations
against 2018 elections is almost the same as Trump’s? On NS disqualification,
the article obfuscates the context; he was disqualified by a 5-member bench of
the apex court in July 2017, a year before the elections, in Panama leaks case
and he was convicted in graft cases involving his London flats.
Whatever the fate may be of the PDM, it is yet to be seen but it is in the
interest of general public that the opposition parties must stop holding rallies
and public gatherings in order to save lives of their leaders and followers. The
opposition parties are really pulling crowd but at the risk of their lives. If
one man catches the coronavirus from a public gathering, imagine he will spread
it not only in his family or office or mosque, but everywhere, multiplying the
coronavirus positive cases. If this continues, the people would reject PDM and
the opposition may head towards an obvious breakdown.
(The writer is Nowshera based contributor)