Once again, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has magnified his anti-Zardari and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) tirades to ‘motivate’ President Asif Ali Zardari to hold fresh elections in the country.
The PML-N chief, who is also famous for being a half opposition leader (as his party is running the government in Punjab), is demanding premature elections in the country on the basis that the current regime (minus Punjab) has proved very inefficient, incompetent and corrupt. There are reports and strong indications that President Zardari is pursuing a well-thought out strategy to ensure that his party wins the next general elections.
Under this strategy, Zardari included the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in the coalition government at a time when the Q-League was in queue to join the N-League, but Sharif did not show flexibility as he lacked political wisdom and was unable to draft or foresee the future scenario properly. When the Q-League joined the PPP-led government, the PML-N chief felt the damaged caused by his political blunder and started raising hue and cry against Zardari, the PPP government and the PML-Q.
Had Sharif taken Q-League on board as well as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), when the latter was exhibiting a soft corner for the N-League, the present political scenario could have been as per the ambitions of PML-N leader. However, it was the political ‘agility’ of Sharif that wasted that prime opportunity.
In sharp contrast to the myopic political understanding of the N-League chief, President Zardari played his cards wittingly and first got hold of the Q-League and then successfully kept relations intact with the agitating and demanding MQM, despite the tense ties with the party and the critical law and order situation and bloodshed in Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan.
The only apparent objective of Zardari to keep the MQM in the coalition is to develop a working relation between the two key stakeholders in Karachi to again form a coalition government in the next general elections. If Zardari’s strategy works and his dream of forming the next government comes true (although any sincere Pakistani would not love to see the PPP in government again because of its disappointing performance), how would the PML-N react to this unexpected situation?
An option for Sharif is to demand Zardari or the pillars of power who can deliver that the government should be handed over to him (Sharif), otherwise, the outcome of the next general elections could be very dejecting for the N-League. Going by the constitution and fair democratic norms, the PML-N should not demand premature elections and wait till the five-year tenure of the PPP government completes. On one hand, the PML-N has repeatedly said that it would not support any undemocratic way to dislodge the government, while on the other, the party is demanding premature elections in the country.
If Sharif blames the PPP for corruption and inefficiency, what kind of efficiency has his party shown in Punjab in the past three and a half years? Why has the PML-N formed a coalition government in Punjab in the presence of corrupt and incompetent rulers in the Centre and why does it not quit the government there? If the PML-N is serious in seeking premature fresh elections, it should first give up its government in Punjab.
Is the situation in Punjab an ideal one and the people of the province living a life of luxury? Who is responsible for the dengue dragon that has claimed many lives in Punjab and put at stake the lives of thousands of people in Lahore? Why could not the Punjab government foresee the dengue problem until it starting devouring lives?
SHARIF’S VISIT TO SINDH: The PML-N leader spent a few days in Karachi and some other cities of Sindh, where he publicly lambasted PPP leaders for their incompetence and negligence in handling important national issues. Instead of bringing a cavalcade of trucks loaded with relief goods from Punjab for the millions of marooned Sindhis, the N-League leader just tried to mitigate the miseries of the people of Sindh with anti-PPP statements.
The latest data of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) shows that tormenting rains and floods have devoured 354 lives in Sindh, rendered more than eight million people homeless and ruined the agricultural sector and businesses in the flood-hit areas. This was a golden opportunity for the PML-N to win millions of hearts in Sindh by offering food, tents and other basic necessities to the marooned people, who are spending their days and nights in open fields and on railway tracks. But upholding its past record, the PML-N has missed this great opportunity.
