Things are not looking good for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as the opposition parties hold one meeting after the other to devise an anti-government strategy. What the incumbent government thought was less of a possibility after the opposition alliance – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – had failed to dampen its spirits with its indecisive policies, is likely to become a reality. A possibility of a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. During a recent meeting held between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the option of a vote of no confidence was considered, which will be pondered upon in the upcoming PDM meeting scheduled for Jan 25. On Monday, Shehbaz also met with PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to discuss the no-confidence motion. While details of the meeting were not made public, a day later PPP Co-Chair Asif Ali Zardari said that he was hopeful about the possible in-house changes. Talks of this motion only came after the PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif agreed to an in-house change. It is then clear that the opposition leadership has one unanimous call: ouster of PM Khan-led government. And they are leaving no stone unturned. Both the PDM and PPP have announced anti-government protests to begin from February, while Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has already begun its protests against the economic policies of the ruling PTI.
The opposition has also vehemently opposed the passage of the controversial Finance (Supplementary) Bill, popularly known as the mini-budget, and the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill presented at the National Assembly. It is pertinent to note that the passage of the bills is required for Pakistan’s sixth review to be cleared by the IMF for the revival of the $6 billion loan programme. It is also the only option for the incumbent government to hope to set the economy on the right path to pacify its vote bank just before the next general election. However, the passage will unleash inflationary pressures at least in the near future on the economy already facing a financial crunch. But what was not a possibility when the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP) left the PDM has only become one because of PTI’s own ad hoc policies. From gas shortage to record-high inflation and now the Murree tragedy, only exposes the failure of the government to set its own house in order. Whether the no-trust motion will be considered is yet to be seen but one thing is rather clear: PTI’s losing popularity. It’s time to buckle up as the political rollercoaster is going to face some bumps ahead.
