The Sharifs must be thoroughly disturbed by the latest political developments in the country, as the emerging equation between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) could spell doom for their party, the PML-Nawaz (PML-N).
The new political alliance will make life easier for the PPP before the upcoming budget, however, as well as in the remaining two years of its government, and will provide it a much-needed breather from tussles with its extremely demanding coalition partners, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). The PML-Q leadership also stands to gain a lot in Punjab after coming to power in the centre. Political leaders and analysts, in candid discussions with Pakistan Today, said the newfound cooperation between the two parties has brought the PML-Q closer to its ultimate goal of getting another taste of power in the largest and most affluent province of the country by ousting the PML-N.
According to the power-sharing deal that would determine the future of the PPP-PML-Q alliance, reportedly the former has reluctantly surrendered the office of Punjab chief minister to the latter. The new political alignment has brightened the prospects of PML-Q recapturing Punjab in the next election – if not before that, a notion that will inject a new life in the PML-Q’s workers and leaders, who were earlier disillusioned with the party’s future but now seem to be in an upbeat mood again, putting their weight behind the Chaudhrys in their new pursuit of power. The PML-Q being a coalition partner in the Centre with a lot of say in decision-making and sharing executive authority would give new hopes to the party cadres and would be a binding force for the party, whose members are known for changing loyalties at the drop of hat. Reportedly, the PML-Q and PPP will deploy their leaders in Punjab to lay the groundwork for the next election, and ultimate glory.
“Soon you will see a committee dedicated to Punjab in action,” a PML-Q leader disclosed. This committee will have the mandate to draw up a strategy to isolate the PML-N, he added. The combined opposition of PPP and PML-Q provincial assembly members in Punjab could also make things difficult for Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in days to come, especially when the province’s financial predicament is an open secret, and as such is dependent upon the federal government for a steady stream of revenue.
Sources also disclosed that with the PML-Q joining the government in the Centre, more serious and concerted efforts will be made to woo back dissident members of both parties in order to rob the PML-N of a majority in any future vote. Already the PML-Q and PPP allege that the PML-N is heading a “minority government” in Punjab after the former exited the provincial government following a split with the PML-N, and that any vote of confidence could lead to its fall if the unification group is neutralised.
It will be interesting to see how the Sharifs cope with the emerging political scenario, with all political parties sporting an “anti-PML-N” outlook as it were. If the PPP’s offer of national government finds greater acceptability, more political entities could put their weight behind this new political alignment.
The PML-N leadership, spearheaded by Chaudhry Nisar and the Punjab chief minister – who will shortly be joined by Nawaz Sharif – has already upped the ante, and is quickly changing gears to attack the government more and more along with the military, as if it were the architect of all “anti-Nawaz” moves.
