As much as opposition leaders would claim otherwise, the PDM show in Lahore on Sunday witnessed a smaller showing than was originally expected. The provincial capital had long been PML-N’s power base in Punjab—especially in the past decade. The PPP’s ideological roots were also set into Lahore. And yet, falling well short of the “historic referendum” that the opposition claimed this was, the jalsa on Sunday even failed to reach the levels of participation of PTI’s 2013 rally, or Benazir Bhutto’s 1986 gathering. This is surprising; the numbers that looked to be in attendance on screen would have mostly consisted of party workers and not the average citizen, for the most part.
Nevertheless, the alliance has so far stayed committed to taking the sitting government to task, and announced that a long march to Islamabad, alongside resignations from assemblies, would be the two final steps in the plan set into motion by the opposition. But with the Lahore showing on display, there are questions that even leaders of the movement must be asking themselves. Can the long march to Islamabad and the resultant sit-in bring in the numbers originally hoped for? Will the alliance be able to sustain the crowd to enable a longer protest in Islamabad, if needed?
But most importantly, will this faze the government? The Lahore rally will have given confidence to the ruling party; it managed to extricate Lahore from PML-N’s hold, and it looks like the people of the provincial capital and surrounding districts are not completely sold on the narrative of PDM.
Even if the opposition manages to exhaust all of its options—a long-term demonstration perhaps, in the capital, alongside resignations in the assembly—the government might just follow through on its promise to hold by-elections where possible. If ruling PTI has the answers to the opposition’s cards, what will be the next step? Sunday might just have emboldened the government. The alliance in the meantime, will regroup and reconvene at its next outing.
https://nation.com.pk/15-Dec-2020/march-to-the-capital
March To The Capital: edit in The Nation, Dec 15th, 2020
As much as opposition leaders would claim otherwise, the PDM show in Lahore on Sunday witnessed a smaller showing than was originally expected. The provincial capital had long been PML-N’s power base in Punjab—especially in the past decade. The PPP’s ideological roots were also set into Lahore. And yet, falling well short of the “historic referendum” that the opposition claimed this was, the jalsa on Sunday even failed to reach the levels of participation of PTI’s 2013 rally, or Benazir Bhutto’s 1986 gathering. This is surprising; the numbers that looked to be in attendance on screen would have mostly consisted of party workers and not the average citizen, for the most part.
Nevertheless, the alliance has so far stayed committed to taking the sitting government to task, and announced that a long march to Islamabad, alongside resignations from assemblies, would be the two final steps in the plan set into motion by the opposition. But with the Lahore showing on display, there are questions that even leaders of the movement must be asking themselves. Can the long march to Islamabad and the resultant sit-in bring in the numbers originally hoped for? Will the alliance be able to sustain the crowd to enable a longer protest in Islamabad, if needed?
But most importantly, will this faze the government? The Lahore rally will have given confidence to the ruling party; it managed to extricate Lahore from PML-N’s hold, and it looks like the people of the provincial capital and surrounding districts are not completely sold on the narrative of PDM.
Even if the opposition manages to exhaust all of its options—a long-term demonstration perhaps, in the capital, alongside resignations in the assembly—the government might just follow through on its promise to hold by-elections where possible. If ruling PTI has the answers to the opposition’s cards, what will be the next step? Sunday might just have emboldened the government. The alliance in the meantime, will regroup and reconvene at its next outing.
https://nation.com.pk/15-Dec-2020/march-to-the-capital
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan