As a tumultuous session of the National Assembly is ahead, which will take up the no-confidence motion against the prime minister filed by the joint opposition, both the treasury and the opposition need to exercise restraint and keep the momentum in control. The no-confidence move is a legal, democratic process, but democratic values may become collateral damage in the battle for Islamabad. This can be avoided by concluding the process of the no-trust motion at the earliest as the unnecessary delay would keep the tensions prevailing and even growing. The Monday session of the National Assembly rolled in the opposition’s no-confidence motion, and now on Thursday, a debate will begin on the motion. Prior to the session, political activities, such as the Amar Bil Maroof rally by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and the anti-inflation march by the joint opposition concluded without any event and both sides showed their street power in their favour. The prime minister had announced that he would give a ‘surprise’ to the opposition at the meeting. Surprisingly, the ‘surprise’ he unveiled lacked dramatic elements, however, by claiming that a conspiracy-like Bhutto had been hatched against him, he drew the attention of the people to the foreign policy of the country. Addressing a charged crowd for one-and-a-half-hour, the prime minister reiterated all the allegations that have been levelled against them in the past. He alleged that the people of his party were pitted against him with external funding. He also mentioned a letter waving a paper and said that he would reveal the details in due course. Opposition parties have also demonstrated their political strength on the roads.
Now, when parties have done street shows, they are turning to the real numerical power: the number of MNAs and MPAs in their pockets. Political manoeuvres and meetings are also underway to win over the support of smaller parties and dissenters for the no-confidence motion. President of the Jamhoori Watan Party Shah Zain Bugti who was also the special assistant to the prime minister announced his separation from the ruling coalition and support for the opposition. Four members of the Balochistan Awami Party have also joined the opposition camp. On the other hand, the prime minister has the PML-Q back in his camp. This happened after a no-confidence motion was filed against the Punjab chief minister. The atmosphere of tensions and confrontation demands that the proceedings of the assembly should not be prolonged and that the no-confidence motion should be dealt with first in accordance with the requirements of the constitution and the law. Governments come and go, but the state remains. It is the duty of the political leaders to make the security, development, and welfare of the country and the nation their priority and not the power. Political leaders are expected to keep things out of control.
