Yes. This is the pertinent question which I want to ask from the legislators of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) who resigned en masse from the Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies and the PPP legislators who abstained themselves from the presidential election.
What the APDM legislators have gained by quitting the National and Provincial Assemblies in protest what they said in protest against general Pervez Musharraf contesting the presidential election in the Army Chief uniform. Likewise, the PPP legislators at the last moment abstained from the voting in the presidential election.
General Pervez Musharraf stands elected as the President and notification of the result is subject to the verdict to be given by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the petitions against his contesting as the Uniformed President.
Opposition in the first instance had not put up its candidate while PPP had fielded Makhdoom Amin Faheem and Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmad was the lawyers community candidate.
Makhdoom Amin Faheem backed out and PPP abstained from the voting process and the lawyers community candidate was just left in the lurch. Neither the APDM legislators should have resigned en masse nor PPP abstained from the voting process in the presidential election.
They should have better participated in the presidential election and registered their protest by voting against General Pervez Musharraf. But they did not do that. General Pervez Musharraf has been elected as the President of Pakistan and hopefully will be taking oath as the civilian President in the coming days. What the Opposition in general and PPP in particular have gained? They have betrayed their electorate for sure.