The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based independent think tank.Much had been trumpeted about the pivotal importance of December 8, the day a meeting of the heads of the parties forming the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was to be held. It was referred to as the ‘aar ya paar’ meeting where some drastic steps were to be announced to force the PTI government…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
The writer is a freelance columnist.,,,,,,,,,, Consolidating the gains of democracy, ensuring rule of law and preserving sanctity of the constitution is the collective responsibility of the ruling as well as the opposition parties. But unfortunately, our history of the last seven decades belies the existence of that political culture. The country is victim of the self-inflicted tragedies that came about due to the political instability triggered by the irresponsible behaviour of the political forces.…
report in the News, Dec 11, 2020ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Thursday said the opposition would get nothing, but embarrassment over the issue of resignations. The minister said that there was no hurdle from the government in the way of opposition’s planned rally in Lahore, insisting they were going to do an illegal act. He said the government is not in contact with the opposition. However, the talks, if held,…
by Tariq Butt in the News, Dec 11, 2020ISLAMABAD: As many as 470 seats of the national and provincial assemblies — a significant 44 percent of the total– will fall vacant if all the lawmakers belonging to the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) tender their resignations as announced by the 11-party opposition alliance. The total strength of the national and four provincial assemblies comes to 1,070 legislators. Some six seats – two…
Bilawal has refrained party members from discussing assembly resignations: Gilanireport in Daily Times, Dec11, 2020Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had decided in its meeting for the assembly members to submit their resignations with their party leaderships, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said. “Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz hasn’t yet formally demanded resignations from its parliamentarians,” she said. “We will ask for resignations after December 13,” she said. “Resignations have already piled up with us as the MNAs…
THE Pakistan Democratic Movement has further raised political temperatures with the announcement that its constituent lawmakers will hand over their resignations to their respective party leaders before the year ends — a development that would create more uncertainty and turmoil in an already tense environment. Although it is not yet clear when the PDM parties will hand these resignations over to the national and provincial assembly speakers, the very prospect of half-empty assemblies, more protests…
The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.So let’s assume the PDM rally takes place as scheduled in Lahore on December 13, without any attempt by the government to block it. Let’s assume that after this a long march begins to Islamabad. Even if a gathering in Islamabad can be held for a month or longer, it is unlikely to yield any real results. The question people ask is: what is to happen…
by Fahd Husain in Dawn, Dec 10, 2020PDM is finally stepping into rough terrain. It has been relatively smooth sailing for the opposition alliance these last few months. They had surmounted the initial obstacle of scattered defiance by agreeing on joining hands and then producing a document that formalised their presence on the proverbial same page. Then it was one jalsa after another with friction — if any — confined to administrative and organisational irritants…
How will things end as the tussle between the PDM and the PTI government continues? At its meeting on Tuesday, the PDM made it clear that it intended to hand in resignations from the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies, including the Sindh Assembly, by the 31st of December. Prime Minister Imran Khan has responded to this by saying that he will not be moved by the mass walkout from the assemblies should they take…
On Tuesday Imran Khan recounted some of the mistakes he had committed after becoming the country’s Prime Minister. He said he did not approach the IMF soon enough after taking over and did not initiate the much needed reforms in the public sector, including the power sector, the PIA and the Pakistan Steel Mills. He confessed that failure to implement reforms immediately hurt the country. What he failed to admit is that hubris led him…
Contest between pro and anti status quo : Op-ed
by Imtiaz Gul in Daily Times, Dec11, 2020How do we explain opposition parties’ cacophony of protests and resignations? Is it opposition for the sake of opposition, or a quest for power which PDM wants to achieve through whatever means – even if involved a direct military intervention? Is it a match between the conventional status quo and those opposed to it – a contest for establishing the rule of law through good governance and accountability?…