Tough times ahead for Sharif govt as Oppn plans grand alliance, long marches to Islamabad

Islamabad, May 23 (IANS) A grand opposition alliance is in the making in Pakistan which plans to “topple” the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by holding massive rallies, protest sit-ins and forming a combined joint resistance.

The current government, formed after the February 8 elections, has been on thin ice as political instability in the country remains a damaging constant.

Important meetings have already begun between the top leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is the largest opposition party in the National Assembly under the umbrella of Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), and formidable Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F).

The opposition plans to assert pressure on the government to call an early election in the country.

Interestingly, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman was the Chairman of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an opposition coalition alliance of political parties, which joined hands against the then-ruling government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and later ensured his ouster through a successful no-confidence vote in the parliament.

Fazlur Rehman has accused PTI and Imran Khan of being funded by India and Israel, accusing party leaders of being foreign agents who were working to spread chaos and instability in Pakistan.

On the other hand, PTI and its Chief Imran Khan have labelled Fazlur Rehman as "diesel" and "maulana diesel" during various political rallies and campaigns in the past.

However, with both sides sitting in the opposition benches now, it seems that they have buried their differences and joined hands to “topple” the ruling government.

Experts believe that a stronger opposition alliance can make life difficult for the Sharif government which is already facing massive criticism due to the charges of manipulation and deliberate rigging taking place during the February elections.

Sources said that the opposition parties including PTI and JUI-F are gearing up to start an anti-government campaign by holding rallies, protests and multiple long marches towards the capital Islamabad.

It is believed that Imran Khan has also called on his party leadership to start a campaign of protest rallies across the country.

As the opposition parties join hands, top PTI leadership, including Imran Khan, has also started to get some relief in its ongoing legal cases.

Khan has given a call to his leaders, who have been hiding for a long time, to come out and join consultations on the formation of an opposition alliance.

Analysts say that the current situation and the ongoing open war between the country's judiciary and establishment work massively in Khan's favour.