Prime Minister Imran Khan is back from his Washington visit. The results of his tour will be revealed over time but so far, it is more optics than any real substance. Details of the meetings have yet to surface, and the future of commitments made by both sides is far from certain. The fact that there is no mention of any agreement or treaty between the two countries after the prime minister’s visit and no joint statement issued speaks volumes.
But no matter…the main battles will be fought at home.
The PTI government is celebrating the prime minister’s tour as the greatest achievement of its tenure. Despite deafening noise of success at the Capital One Arena, where the prime minister addressed a gathering and used the opportunity to attack opposition parties, the second attempt by his government to collect money to bridge the current account deficit has fallen flat. The Diaspora Bond has attracted only 600 expatriates, collecting $26 million only.
Barely two days ahead of the US visit, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was arrested near Lahore while he was on his way to attend a press conference called by Shehbaz Sharif. This was followed by a dramatic siege and search of former finance minister Miftah Ismail’s residence in Karachi. PM Imran, who keeps claiming that his government has nothing to do with the arrests and persecution of the opposition politicians, bragged about Abbasi’s arrest at the gathering in Washington. “He kept daring us to arrest him. So we arrested him,” he said.
The impact of the protest rallies called on July 25 is being assessed, but the main tool used deployed by the government in this entire period is blanket censorship and self-censorship in the media. All media houses seem to have surrendered after TV channels were shut down, or denied advertising money and media events and interviews were cancelled last minute. Recent examples of these media blackouts include Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s rally in Faisalabad and her press conference on Wednesday in Lahore. Parties are now relying on social media tools more and more to convey their message to the public, as no media house dares to defy the draconian orders issued by this regime.
Protest meetings, rallies and public gatherings by the emerging opposition leaders Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are beginning to gather some steam. Maulana Fazalur Rehman, too, is packing his punch slowly but surely.
As the economy goes south, the latest news from the polling booth does is not good for the ruling party. Provincial assembly elections in the new districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gave only four seats to the PTI, which rules both the province and the federation. This is despite arrests, imposition of Section 144, shutting down of the internet and other restrictions in the area.
The by-election on NA-205 in Ghotki, Sindh brought more bad news for Imran Khan’s administration. The ruling coalition actually lost its seat and added one more seat to the PPP, which led a good campaign in the constituency.
As we speak, all eyes are looking towards the chairman of the Senate. So far, we have not seen any major coercive effort by the government to prevent the Opposition from removing Sadiq Sanjrani from the position. Emphasis has so far been on persuasion, rather than pressure.
Interestingly, the PTI leadership, led by the Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz has used his charm and sweet talk, rather than the toxic diatribes of Firdous Ashiq Awan. Except Dilawar Khan and Kusloom Perveen, who attended a dinner hosted by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, no major defection has taken place.
Of course there are some people trying to throw spanner in the works. The last meeting of the APC witnessed some theatrics by Pir Sabir Shah and Rehman Malik. In his recent statements, Malik has tried to ignite another controversy by demanding the slot of the Leader of the Opposition for his party. Earlier, Sherry Rehman enjoyed the position but she was removed and PML-N’s Raja Zafarulhaq assumed the slot, since his party has the largest block of senators in the Upper House.
The new tantrums by Rehman Malik might appease some powerful quarters but will bring him on the wrong side of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, unless something dramatic happens and the PPP makes a full u-turn. The chances of that are not high.
As we have said in this space earlier, unless some major horse-trading and a wave of intimidation takes place in the last hours, numbers of the opposition look too strong for Sanjrani to survive the onslaught. Next Thursday, Sanjrani is likely to be removed after the vote count is done, and the election for the new chairman will take place within days.
If the son of the legendary Baloch politician Mir Ghaus Bux Bizenjo wears the robes of the custodian of the house of the federation, it will be an entirely a new ball game. Even in the worst case scenario, if the ruling party somehow stages an upset, the Opposition will not allow the PTI government to enact any legislation of its choice. It will also dump no trust moves against the incumbent chairman one after the other. Interesting times ahead!
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad
But no matter…the main battles will be fought at home.
The PTI government is celebrating the prime minister’s tour as the greatest achievement of its tenure. Despite deafening noise of success at the Capital One Arena, where the prime minister addressed a gathering and used the opportunity to attack opposition parties, the second attempt by his government to collect money to bridge the current account deficit has fallen flat. The Diaspora Bond has attracted only 600 expatriates, collecting $26 million only.
Barely two days ahead of the US visit, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was arrested near Lahore while he was on his way to attend a press conference called by Shehbaz Sharif. This was followed by a dramatic siege and search of former finance minister Miftah Ismail’s residence in Karachi. PM Imran, who keeps claiming that his government has nothing to do with the arrests and persecution of the opposition politicians, bragged about Abbasi’s arrest at the gathering in Washington. “He kept daring us to arrest him. So we arrested him,” he said.
Next Thursday, Sanjrani is likely to be removed after the vote count is done, and the election for the new chairman will take place within days
The impact of the protest rallies called on July 25 is being assessed, but the main tool used deployed by the government in this entire period is blanket censorship and self-censorship in the media. All media houses seem to have surrendered after TV channels were shut down, or denied advertising money and media events and interviews were cancelled last minute. Recent examples of these media blackouts include Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s rally in Faisalabad and her press conference on Wednesday in Lahore. Parties are now relying on social media tools more and more to convey their message to the public, as no media house dares to defy the draconian orders issued by this regime.
Protest meetings, rallies and public gatherings by the emerging opposition leaders Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are beginning to gather some steam. Maulana Fazalur Rehman, too, is packing his punch slowly but surely.
As the economy goes south, the latest news from the polling booth does is not good for the ruling party. Provincial assembly elections in the new districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gave only four seats to the PTI, which rules both the province and the federation. This is despite arrests, imposition of Section 144, shutting down of the internet and other restrictions in the area.
The by-election on NA-205 in Ghotki, Sindh brought more bad news for Imran Khan’s administration. The ruling coalition actually lost its seat and added one more seat to the PPP, which led a good campaign in the constituency.
As we speak, all eyes are looking towards the chairman of the Senate. So far, we have not seen any major coercive effort by the government to prevent the Opposition from removing Sadiq Sanjrani from the position. Emphasis has so far been on persuasion, rather than pressure.
Interestingly, the PTI leadership, led by the Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz has used his charm and sweet talk, rather than the toxic diatribes of Firdous Ashiq Awan. Except Dilawar Khan and Kusloom Perveen, who attended a dinner hosted by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, no major defection has taken place.
Of course there are some people trying to throw spanner in the works. The last meeting of the APC witnessed some theatrics by Pir Sabir Shah and Rehman Malik. In his recent statements, Malik has tried to ignite another controversy by demanding the slot of the Leader of the Opposition for his party. Earlier, Sherry Rehman enjoyed the position but she was removed and PML-N’s Raja Zafarulhaq assumed the slot, since his party has the largest block of senators in the Upper House.
The new tantrums by Rehman Malik might appease some powerful quarters but will bring him on the wrong side of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, unless something dramatic happens and the PPP makes a full u-turn. The chances of that are not high.
As we have said in this space earlier, unless some major horse-trading and a wave of intimidation takes place in the last hours, numbers of the opposition look too strong for Sanjrani to survive the onslaught. Next Thursday, Sanjrani is likely to be removed after the vote count is done, and the election for the new chairman will take place within days.
If the son of the legendary Baloch politician Mir Ghaus Bux Bizenjo wears the robes of the custodian of the house of the federation, it will be an entirely a new ball game. Even in the worst case scenario, if the ruling party somehow stages an upset, the Opposition will not allow the PTI government to enact any legislation of its choice. It will also dump no trust moves against the incumbent chairman one after the other. Interesting times ahead!
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad