Allies agree on early polls, divided on new provinces

Though the coalition partners on Friday stood divided on a joint resolution on the question of new provinces, they agreed to the idea of holding Senate and general elections ahead of schedule in mid-February and October, respectively. A source told Pakistan Today that President Asif Ali Zardari took the leadership of all coalition partners into confidence over the government’s decision to hold early elections, which was endorsed by heads of all parties in the coalition.
“The president told the political leaders that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had conveyed a message to Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Hamid Ali Mirza to start preparations for the Senate elections, the schedule for which may be announced during the next week,” said the source. The source added that the government believed the Senate elections might start by January-end and the nomination papers may be sought by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) around January 28.
“The process of appeals against nomination papers may be fixed around February 10 or 11 and polls may be held by mid-February. However, oath to newly elected Senators would be administered on March 13,” the source added.The source said the president also called a parliamentary party meeting of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) late on Friday night and took the party legislators into confidence over the government’s decision to hold Senate and general elections ahead of schedule.
NEW PROVINCES: The source, however, conceded that the coalition partners could not resolve differences on the creation of Saraiki and Hazara provinces as the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) could not bridge their differences. “Though President Asif Ali Zardari held separate talks with the delegations of MQM and ANP to understand the nature of differences between them prior to the joint meeting, he could not convince any of them to change their respective positions,” said the source.
DIFFERENCES: The source said the PPP leadership wanted legislation for the creation of a Saraiki province and it had no interest in a Hazara province. On the other hand, the source added, initially the ANP leadership was interested in the creation of a Saraiki province but the accelerated pace for the creation of a Hazara province by MQM and PML-Q had compelled the Pakhtun leadership to think twice before lending support to a Saraiki province.
“The ANP leaders now are in a fix and they are more inclined towards the PML-N’s stance on new provinces rather than the PPP,” the source said.
The ANP leadership told President Zardari that the demand for a Hazara province was a conspiracy being hatched by the MQM and PML-Q leadership, which were remnants of a dictatorship against the democratic parties of ANP and PPP.
“ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan told the president that a province was being claimed which would prove to be the smallest in terms of area and population, which had no basis and no rationale. He said this was just a conspiracy against the recognition of the Pakhtun people, which was given to them only a year ago,” the source quoted the ANP leadership as telling the president.
On the other hand, the source said the MQM delegation told the president that they were raising the voice for the people of Hazara and south Punjab, who had been ignored and kept underdeveloped.
Finally, the source said it was decided that any move on new provinces would be made in the National Assembly after reaching a consensus over separate bills for Saraiki and Hazara provinces.
No threat to democracy: Separately, President Zardari, co-chairing a meeting of PPP senators and MNAs later in the evening, said he saw no threat to democracy but no matter what happened the PPP would not disappoint the nation and the people would find the party fully prepared to face any eventuality with courage and determination.
Briefing reporters about the meeting, Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the meeting renewed the party’s commitment to strengthen democracy and the democratic institutions in the country and to continue to resist any attempt that sought to undermine democracy and civil institutions.
“We are aware of our obligation to fulfill our commitments to the people who have never been heard and would take all measures that promise to fulfill the aspirations of people of the country,” he quoted the president as saying.
The president said the party had initiated a consultative process with its political partners and allies on matters of creation of new provinces, as well as Senate elections. He said appropriate legislative measures would soon be undertaken for the creation of a Saraiki province in consultation with coalition partners.
He said the government had decided to hold by-elections for all the vacant seats at the earliest, thereby completing the constitutional requirements in this regard.
Addressing the participants of the briefing, the prime minister said the government’s decision to support a private member’s bill that made it binding upon all public servants to declare their assets as the parliamentarians did was a major step to ensure across-the-board accountability of all.
“However, efforts made in this regard in the past were foiled on tenuous grounds,” he said, adding that declaration and publication of assets of all those drawing salaries from the public exchequer was a historical step that would be pursued to its logical conclusion, and any attempt to subvert it would be exposed and resisted.
Discussing the power and energy crisis, the president said power and energy challenges were amongst the greatest challenges that continue to haunt the people of the country, and the government was taking all possible measures to address these issues.