The parties currently in opposition claim that they are united against the ruling PTI-led coalition. At one point they formed the Pakistan Democratic Movement, believing that time had come to launch a movement to overthrow the PTI government. As each one of the two major opposition parties has its own programme and is keen to come to power on its own or by forming an alliance with like-minded parties, the PPP and PML-N have long history of contending with each other even while in opposition.
The opposition alliance is always temporary. Even when forming an alliance the parties know that once the govt is overthrown they will be competing against one another to form the next government. This often creates problems even during the alliance. There were attempts by both the PPP and PML-N to develop special relations with the smaller parties in the alliance and in the case of the former to hobnob with the smaller parties in the ruling alliance also. The PML-N developed closer relations with the JUI-F and several other parties within the PDM while the PPP reached an understanding with the ANP as well as with elements in BAP which helped the PPP candidate get the seat of Opposition Leader in Senate. This led to a split in the PDM. The agreement to support PML-N candidate in NA-249 was subsequently disregarded by the PPP which put up its own candidate on the seat and got him elected.
The JUI-F is a political rival of the PPP in interior Sindh. The party has now announced a movement against the PPP’s Sindh administration. It has accused CM Murad Ali Shah’s administration of corruption, incompetence, bad health policy and allowing the powerful landlords to steal poor farmers’ share of irrigation water. The JUI-F has announced a four stage action programme including protest marches at Larkana, Karachi, and all Sindh districts and finally a march from Ghotki to CM House in Karachi. The JUI-F has also included opposition to the PTI in its protests but the greater emphasis is on confronting the PPP government. With elections nowhere in sight it is irrational on the part of the opposition parties to start fighting against one another.
