Stuck in opposition mode?
With the benchmark 100 days in office almost up for the PTI one would have thought that after struggling for decades to get to the highest office in the land Imran Khan would at least attempt to display some semblance of change with regards to how he does politics. But sadly it has been more of the same, U-turns on key matters and the incessant need to lambaste – sometimes to a personal level – anyone critical of him or his party. PTI’s ‘TLP-test’ came a bit too soon with the recent violent protests by the extremist Khadim Rizvi and his band of religious zealots over Aasia bibi’s release. PM Khan in a televised address to the nation warned the protesters not to test the government. Test they did and the government capitulated. With regards to the economy PM Khan had stated that he would commit suicide before going to the IMF – the government is now negotiating a hefty bailout package with the international lender. So recently Khan gave a little spin to these about turns stating, “only real leaders take timely U-turns” and “Hitler and Napoleon failed as they did not take similar U-turns”. Fair enough. It is sometimes prudent to shift strategy to succeed even if it means harsh criticism from opponents in the short term. Imran Khan however in the past and recently has taken ‘U-turns’ that can be considered more hypocritical than a smart realignment of strategy.
Going by this oversimplified justification one is to accept that the PTI did well in ceding to TLP’s demands, releasing arsonists and not arresting the party’s leaders who called for the execution of judges? Blaming the previous government for many of the issues it faces is but natural – everyone does it. But this has to be accompanied with a certain level of consensus building across the aisle. Unfortunately with Fawad Chaudhry at the Centre and Fayyaz ul Hasan Chohan in Punjab taking unnecessary jabs at all major opposition parties on a daily basis, bipartisanship on serious issues is unlikely. The opposition is there to keep the government on its toes and the government has to absorb some of the criticism. For that a thicker skinned PM and more tolerant ministers are required.
