Bane of the political parties
PPP’s woes are unending. With defections continuing to take place, the Punjab party is in a bad shape. A meeting of Punjab leaders called by Bilawal failed to take any radical measure vis-à-vis leadership change in Punjab because he is not fully empowered to take important decisions of the sort. Bilawal is supposed to visit Punjab next month. Facing threats to his life he is not likely to travel widely in the province or address many public gatherings.
Defections in Pakistan’s mainstream parties are indicative of weak party loyalties. The loyalties are tenuous because politics is centred primarily around power and practical and material considerations rather than ideological notions or moral or ethical premises. Realpolitik has thus been the bane of the country’s political parties. Many politicians change affiliations after their party is out of power or when its short term prospects look bleak. Many who served Musharraf loyally jumped ship when it started sinking to join the PML-N and PTI. The PPP itself accommodated numerous turncoats. During its last tenure It accepted parties like MQM and PML-Q, which had been Musharraf’s close allies as its bedfellow out of sheer opportunism.
The PTI has welcomed PPP defectors as genuine ideological cadre. Those who have switched over to the PTI in fact aim to get a share in the forthcoming local elections that they think they would not find were they to contest on a PPP ticket. If Manzoor Wattoo or Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood continue to stick to the PPP they do so for some reason other than ‘ideological affiliation’.
Some in the PPP think the party’s position would improve if it begins to act like a real opposition. This can happen only if the PPP leadership is willing to organise the party at the grass roots and formulates a new, well thought out and enlightened party platform with rational and pro people economic, social and political policies. How many are willing to do this remains to be seen.