Opposition fissures

• The Senate check demands greater opposition unity, not less

That the opposition’s shock defeat in its move to oust the Senate Chairman should result in mutual recriminations between its components was perhaps inevitable. After all, its main components, the PML-N and the PPP, have been daggers drawn for decades, and still view each other as their main opponent. However, the mutual recrimination that seems to be developing is likely to be worse than purposeless, as it only serves the ruling PTI, which has elbowed aside both parties. The war of words between senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif and PPP Senate parliamentary party leader Sherry Rehman may be a sign of things to come if the party leaderships do not bring this to an end. Indeed, since the matter has reached such senior leaders as Khawaja Asif and Ms Rehman, it may well need the leaders to intervene.

Though Khawaja Asif was frank in saying that he had opposed the alliance, his hint that the PPP had voted for sitting Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to save its Sindh government provoked Ms Rehman to complain that PML-N Senators did not attend opposition meetings. At the same time, both parties had set up separate internal committees to find out who had violated party discipline. Even if there was some way of identifying the dissidents, short of confession, the purpose is not immediately obvious. Such Senators cannot be unseated, for the Senate Chairmanship is not a confidence issue on which the ani-floor crossing clause of the Constitution may be invoked. More likely, the result will be a fizzling out into inaction. Even if there was any unseating involved because of resignations, the benefit would go to the government, which is comfortably placed in all the provincial assemblies except Sindh to get its candidates elected. That explains why the PPP Senators’ resignations are being belittled by the PML-N.

The Opposition is at a nadir. However, it should now prepare itself for the government to respond. It should keep in mind that only unity will enable its components to survive to the next election. They have strong antipathies to each other, but that should show itself at election. In their present task, of exposing the government’s flaws, they must cooperate.