Will PTI budge on its position?
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has always tried to take a moral high ground even when it was in the wrong. Burdened with the hubris of its top leader, it has swerved from one position to another, thus earning its leader the nickname ‘U-turn Khan’. Changing positions, per se, is not a bad thing in politics; every party does it. However, claiming the moral high ground and changing positions at convenience can be seen at odds. And to make the matters worse, there are conflicting reports on yet another U-turn the PTI has taken.
PPP leader Mian Manzoor Wattoo has announced that his party and six other parties, including the PTI, have agreed on forming a united front against the PML-N for the next month’s local Government elections. If that happens, it could seriously hurt PML-N’s chances of sweeping the Punjab province. While PML-N lays claim on the province with considerable vote bank, this new united front, if it becomes reality, could pose a serious threat to PML-N’s monopoly on the province. PPP, which is no more than a shadow of its former self, will gain from this alliance only as much though PTI could see some gains. But for the PTI ideologists, this alliance could mean bending its self-imposed rules and giving in to status quo politics, instead of the politics of change its leader has been bragging about for years. There are already reports that PTI is not going to join this seven-party alliance, which also includes JUI-F, JI, PAT, JUP, MWM and SIC. These conflicting reports — PTI senior leader Ch Sarwar has hinted at this alliance while its spokesman Naeem-ul-Haq has denied it — have clouded the real picture but the situation may clear up when the dust settles in a few days and only then will we be able to see find out the details of this agreement.
If the pact holds up, this could herald a new beginning for PTI as it will show, finally, that the party is willing to listen to others. However, that depends on whether the alliance gets official or not. The next few days are going to be very interesting.
