Pak opposition jettisoning mutual hatred to ouster Imran Khan
Feb 09, 2022
Lahore [Pakistan], February 9 : Pakistan's prominent opposition parties along with the allies of the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have joined hands and set aside their differences to ouster Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Opposition parties like Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the allies of Imran Khan - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) are setting aside their differences to ouster 'Kaptaan' (Imran Khan), reported Dawn.
Pakistan's political future is in limbo as the opposition is planning a no-confidence motion or street protests or even a combination of both in a joint fight against Khan's misgovernance.
The political expediency is bringing adversaries to Lahore. Over the last few days, the top leadership of the PPP converged in Lahore to meet and discuss with the PML-N the possibility of closer cooperation among the opposition parties in parliament for ousting the 'Kaptaan' through a no-confidence motion.
This was followed by a visit of the leaders of the MQM-Pakistan (MQM-P), a PTI coalition ally, which spawned speculation about the future of the existing setup and added to the prevailing political uncertainty, reported Dawn.
"Look at how MQM is trying to stretch the 'possible' by meeting PML-N; it thanked the PML-N for supporting its protest against another major opposition player, PPP, at a time when the opposition might be jettisoning its mutual hatred to consider -- once again -- a joint fight against Imran Khan," commented a political observer, who spoke to Dawn on condition of anonymity.
The MQM isn't the only PTI ally stretching and posturing. The PML-Q too is pandering to the PML-N and PPP without committing anything just like Muttahida.
The opposition says they want to overthrow an "unrepresentative" government, accusing Imran Khan's government of putting pressure on the judiciary, media and mismanaging the economy.
Meanwhile, the increase in efforts to broaden the opposition alliance against Imran Khan and his administration has left many wondering as to who is behind the move.
The recent tensions between the premier and the military leadership on the appointment of a new intelligence chief are believed to have made the Imran-led setup vulnerable, reported Dawn.
Some even insist that the opposition is pushing 'reports' of having tacit support of the military to move against the PTI leader from a 'position of strength' to forge a rebellion within the PTI, added Dawn.