The opposition, though quite formidable on paper, has not succeeded in cashing in on its strength in and outside the Parliament. It goes without saying that the state of disunity in the ranks of opposition suits the rulers.
President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will love to see the air of persisting disarray in the rank and file of opposition, if Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) continue to 'dodge' the issue.
Obviously, there is hardly any similarity between two major opposition alliances, the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). And, this has so far impeded efforts for joining ARD-MMA hands.
Another factor that rankles is MMA's support to the President Musharraf on the much-debated 17th Amendment. It appears MMA has not been able to shrug off its image of being the 'B team' of Musharraf. And, a tug of war is raging between PPP and MMA, both accusing each other of being pro-government.
MMA chipped in to rescue Musharraf last year, when things had reached the point of no return on the most contentious issue of the present time - the Legal Framework Order (LFO) - and supported the 17th Amendment.
The rulers, more precisely President General Pervez Musharraf, also know well that if and when the two alliances joined hands, it for sure will signal his exit. Status quo between ARD and MMA goes in his (Musharraf) favour.
There have been some formal and informal meetings between two alliances, without any tangible progress towards agreeing on the one-point agenda of dislodging the president, though, they don't acknowledge him as legitimate.
Keeping all cards close to his chest, President Musharraf, it looks, is inclined to roping in PPP, being dubbed by him these days as a moderate party. On the contrary, self-exiled head of the party Benazir Bhutto has shown resilience and does not seem giving in to these overtures.
Recent signals, however, indicate that either the parleys between aides of the President and PPP leaders have broken down or hit a deadlock. The party is prepared to give a safe exit to the military, but saying no to power sharing with it.
Reports of government-PPP contacts in recent months have only created unease in the opposition camp. Needless to say, it has again served the ruling coalition, leading to widespread speculations.
There is unanimity in the opposition that there should be no role for military in the politics, which is also enshrined in the Constitution, but they still continue to look for common ground to jointly proceed to achieve this end.
It is widely believed that a realisation is growing in political parties that the army must stop meddling in politics. Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Aitzaz Ahsan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Naheed Khan and scores of other lawmakers in the National Assembly have all reflected this in their speeches.
The question being asked these days is why the opposition is hesitant to take out rallies? The answer is simple, disunity in their ranks and the growing indifference of the public towards political matters. It is understandable why people have stopped interest in politics. The answer is political polarisation and their plunging purchase power.
Countering this argument, MMA leadership keeps on boasting of its largely attended million marches against the US-led war on Iraq. They may be oblivious of allegation that, without the 'powers-that-be's support, they would not have gathered more than a few thousand people.
In this grim scenario, two major political parties i e PPP and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) are working on signing a code of conduct not to dislodge each other's government, adopt undemocratic and unconstitutional means or seek the military's support.
Perhaps, they are remorseful of their own past conduct as a ruling party and as the opposition. For the first time, former Prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif conceded their questionable role to ditch and corner each other. It is an encouraging and heartening confession by the 'two Bigs' that could lay the foundation for a healthy political future.
It is never too late! Even if today, they agree on a code of conduct, this will create a more ambient political environment and a two-party system can emerge on the national horizon as in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Experts believe that the military take-over in 1999 has been a blessing in disguise for true democratic forces. There is a growing feeling it is time to draw up a line between pro-military and democratic entities. How far the opposition succeeds in this direction is still an enigma.
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