The PDM show on Sunday in Peshawar took place despite the restrictions in KP on public gatherings, which were imposed in light of increasing COVID infections. We are now at the same stage as we were in early-March—daily cases of above 2500 and rising death rates as well.
In this backdrop, it is important to take everything the opposition says with a pinch of salt. Tall claims of a government that doesn’t care for the public or pointing out the rising inflation all pale in comparison to the actual life-threatening pandemic that faces us all. The statements coming from the opposition ring a little hollow then; how can politicians on the other side of the parliament claim they care for public welfare when every event they host in this climate puts the lives of their supporters and countless others in jeopardy?
It is understandable that PDM is worried about losing its momentum if it holds off on the protests. But the contradictions in this narrative are stark and remain unaddressed. If anything, the alliance is plugging holes into its movement by such callous attitude. Price rises and all other issues are secondary; because at the end of the day, starvation is only a campaign slogan while deaths through COVID are tangible and easily calculable. PDM is doing exactly what it is accusing the treasury benches over; playing politics over issues that deserve our national focus.
It is time for the opposition to take the wiser trajectory and move towards a pause in its plan to topple the government. If the people really are as fed up as the alliance claims, then once the pandemic has been controlled, they can take to the streets again and do as they please. But perhaps the opposition alliance is worried that its demands are not altogether supported by the public? That would be more indicative of why the alliance is so insistent on breaking safety protocols and risking the spread of infection in large numbers.