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| PTI CHAIRMAN IMRAN KHAN |
Due to unprecedented inflation and political uncertainty in the country, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's popularity had plummeted by March 7.
Khan's regime was in a state of fear. The results from the by-elections, and the first phase of local bodies polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had showed the writing on the wall. Khan swiftly disbanded all of his party's organisations in order to start over.
Then came March 8, when a united opposition filed a motion of no confidence against him. Khan had managed to turn the tables in his favour in an instant.The new coalition government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, is feeling the heat on three fronts after removing Imran Khan from office nearly 16 months before the next general election: a deteriorating economic situation, pressure to hold an early election, and how to deal with Imran Khan's narrative about an allegedly US conspiracy to depose him.
Sharif is well aware that he has his work cut out for him. That's why he took over a week to assemble his cabinet of 33 ministers from a variety of political parties.
So, the question is: Was the vote of no-confidence the correct decision? And this so close to the national election?According to one viewpoint, the vote harmed the opposition, which is currently in control, more than it harmed Imran Khan.
However, this may not be the whole picture. Everything wasn't right in Khan's camp, as has become evident today.
For one thing, despite his ministers' assertions, he was not on the same page as the establishment. This was clear during the last year's delay in appointing a new intelligence chief.
Khan now claims that the military was involved in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner.
He also claimed that the three choices were proposed by the military to end a standoff between him and the opposition in a conversation with television anchors and journalists.This is in direct opposition to what the military's director-general of media just announced.
Personally, I feel that dismissing Khan before the conclusion of his term provided the former prime minister with the much-needed morale boost. His political party has tightened its ranks and is now closer than ever, as his close allies, including the governor of Punjab and the president, are making it difficult for the opposition to govern.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has also won the second phase of local bodies elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as a by-election for a National Assembly seat in Hangu, despite the candidate's announcement that he would quit if he won.Political analysts had predicted that the PTI would have little chance in the upcoming elections in Karachi, where the party won 14 national seats out of 21 and 25 provincial seats in 2018. However, the PTI is currently attracting massive audiences to rallies across the city.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan People's Party, and even Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan must be attentively monitoring PTI's operations in Karachi.
The Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) in Punjab has been disturbed by Khan's strong tone and anti-US discourse.
Insiders in the PML-N concede that unless their party and the incoming government come up with a solid counter narrative to the PTI, they may struggle in the upcoming elections.PTI is planning a massive public gathering in Lahore, Punjab's capital, on Thursday, which is being viewed as a possible resuscitation of the party after October 2011.
Khan is using the same strategy as he did when he was in opposition in 2014. He intends to have a massive rally in Lahore first, and then march to Islamabad after Eid.
The goal is simple: he wants to retaliate against the Sharifs by branding them as "traitors" and portraying himself as a true "patriot" by playing the anti-US card.Intriguingly, April 21 is a significant day. On this day in 1972, the parliament passed a temporary constitution, which would later become Pakistan's consensus constitution in 1973. Khan, who has broken the Constitution, will hold his rally on this day tomorrow.
In a nutshell, Imran Khan is pitted against all other political parties for the time being.
His admirers are enthralled by the narrative he is concocting. All political parties, the establishment, the higher judiciary, and the United States are all against him, according to his narrative.
Is this, however, a compelling enough tale to win him votes? Regardless of how high his public support is, it will undoubtedly be a hurdle. If he does win, though,It will reveal that his government's poor performance was overshadowed by his narrative construction.
The vote of no-confidence, in my opinion, was a foolish political move, and these mainstream parties would realise it sooner or later.
The people's only option now is to provide significant relief in the next two to three months. As they say in cricket, the only way to respond to your critics is to perform well on the field.
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