History repeats itself: Will Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz join hands again? – WION

The Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawazare two of the biggest political parties in Pakistan. For decades, they have taken turns sitting on the throne of Islamabad and every time they failed to do so, the two parties joined hands.

We saw this in 2006 when Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif two former Prime Ministers of Pakistan came together to overthrow General Parvez Musharraf. Now, years later,we are seeing it again as Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz Sharif the heirs of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have come together to overthrow the government of Imran Khan Niazi.

Their coming together has infused new energy in their cadre. Their anti-govt rallies are being attended by thousands of Pakistan locals and their bonhomie is making headlines.

Also read|Imran Khan government is illegitimate, incompetent: Pakistan's united opposition Chief Fazlur Rehman

Can this alliance go beyond mere posturing?

The images of Bilawal Bhutto driving Maryam Nawaz to his mother's grave are quite telling.It was Benazir Bhutto's 13th death anniversary andMaryam Nawaz accompanied Bhutto's son to her mausoleum. The two paid their respects to Benazir Bhutto Pakistan's first woman prime minister.

Maryam Nawaz, who has often called Benazir her idol, also tweeted after her visit."Politics of hatred and polarisation has to be buried. Pakistans younger politicians need to build on COD, unite against poverty & oppression," she tweeted.

The political pundits of Pakistan are seeing this growing camaraderie as a new chapter in their country's politics. However, the real question is if this assumption is correct.

In 2006,Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto came together in London to sign a charter of democracy. They promised to struggle against what they called a dictatorship and they too promised to do away with the politics of hatred and polarisation.

Then, on December 27, 2007,Benazir Bhutto got assassinated after a suicided attack at one of her rallies claimed Bhutto's life. It plunged Pakistan into turmoil less than two weeks before the election.

Nawaz Sharif's party joined a coalition with Bhutto's party under its new leader and Benazir's husband, Asif Ali Zardari, butthe alliance was strained by differences and the coalition collapsed. The PPP and PML-N parted ways.

Five years later, in2013, Pakistan went to elections once again. Nawaz Sharif, who once couldn't stop singing praises of the Pakistan People's Party, now left no opportunity to attack the party.

"Since they did nothing for the country, and their performances are zero, so they don't have anything to tell the people, they don't have anything to sell to the people of Pakistan, because they didn't do anything in the five years so people don't expect them to do anything in the next five years," he had said.

It's been seven years and the next elections in Pakistan are still a couple of years away, but Nawaz Sharif, who is currently in exile,is laying the groundwork. He has managed to build a coalition of at least 11 political parties against Imran Khan.

His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, and Benazir's son, Bilawal Bhutto, have taken the centre stage. They have united against a common enemy the PTI government led by Imran Khan. Whether or not the unity will work this time will soon be made clear. Till then, it's a game of 'wait and watch'.

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History repeats itself: Will Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz join hands again? - WION