PDM in fear of defeat?

Following the ouster of its Chief, Im ran Khan as the Prime Minister of Pakistan through a no-confidencevote, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) has been facing delaying tactics regarding the acceptance of resignations of its members of the National Assembly (NA) as its political opponents are fearful of an unprecedented defeat if the country goes for early elections amidst aggravating national crises. In the wake of national challenges, particularly the already rising current countrywide flour shortage, PTI wants immediate acceptance of its members' resignations as it is hopeful of making a clean sweep in the general elections across the country. It has already proved its mettle in last year's by-elections by defeating the joint opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). PTI won six NA seats in by-elections held on October 16, 2022 and is still gaining momentum in the political arena. Thus, Imran Khan's opponents are creating hurdles in the holding of early elections in a bid to save their politics, especially on the issue of resignations. Out of the eight NA seats previously held by PTI, Imran had contested seven seats. He won the NA seats from Mardan, Peshawar, and Charsadda in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Faisalabad as well as Nankana Sahib in Punjab; and the Korangi District of Karachi in Sindh. Besides, bypolls were also held on three seats of the Punjab Assembly (PA) previously held by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI won two of them while PML-N could retain only one. It was also unprecedented in history that one candidate (Imran Khan) contested for seven National Assembly seats. Due to PTI's popularity and its ongoing political momentum, PDM fears that PTI will make a clean sweep if early elections are held. In addition, the solution to the national crises seems nowhere in sight as Pakistan is facing its worst-ever wheat crisis nowadays. The shortage of flour and stampedes are being reported from several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh. Risking their precious lives, amidst stampedes and other untoward incidents, hundreds of thousands of poverty-stricken people have to queue up in front of trucks to get subsidised flour wheat that is already in shortage in the local markets. If the elections are held in these circumstances, the PDM mix fears that PTI will grab victories across the country. Therefore it wants a delay in the acceptance of PTI lawmakers' resignations. Earlier, protesting against the toppling of...