Multan by-poll verdict

And the Javed Hashmi factor

Javed Hashmi’s latest summersault for democracy does not seem to have resonated too well in NA-149 if the by-poll is anything to go by. But then Hashmi was just one factor in this election, which is why he would probably not have fared any better, contrary to his own thinking, even if his health had allowed him more campaigning time. This had become a proxy battle in the wider, degenerating tug of war between PML-N and PTI. That is why Amir Dogar’s change of fortune from the last confrontation – when Hashmi beat him handsomely – was not entirely his own doing.

The PTI has clearly bounced back from the dharna disappointment. The recent Multan jalsa was a very impressive show of force, despite the tragedy at the end. That momentum set the stage for the by-poll verdict, and most analysts were not surprised that the N-league’s, and Punjab government machinery’s, support could not help Hashmi. But the PTI must now address some of its own double standards if it is to retain the initiative. Its grievances with Hashmi are understandable – and the baghi has begun losing his support base because of his about-turns – but didn’t the PTI’s preferred candidate boast some of the same credentials that they now find intolerable in their former party president? And Hashmi did have a point when he said that if the by-poll proved one thing, it is that the way forward is through elections.

It will be interesting to see how Hashmi, and the N league, posture from here. Other things remaining the same, the former has played his cards, without success, to remain too significant. PML-N, on the other hand, is clearly on the decline in its own back yard. First the dharnasmilked it of the political venom it so openly displayed for other parties and institutions in the early days of the election hangover. Now a resurgent PTI is thinning its support base in Punjab. It has withstood the pressure of the agitations – though it is clearly weakened – but it will have to seriously reorganise to put up a good show at the next election. And after Multan, Javed Hashmi will have to find a new way to serve democracy. Going by his own preferred method – elections – the baghi factor might be past its sell-by date.