As the Supreme Court was moved to stall the upcoming Senate elections on March 2, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has planned to keep its cards close to the chest regarding alliances with the PML-Quaid dissidents, including the likeminded, to reap maximum benefits.
Owing to such ruse to deal with the Senate polls, the PML-N has started playing cool showing no haste, contrary to the PPP that has even completed the short-listing of 30 aspirants after receiving applications from party leaders.
As it was decided that party candidates for Senate polls would be announced at the eleventh hour, another round of negotiation with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and top leaders of the PML-Q likeminded, including Humayun Akhtar and Haroon Akhtar, was held at Raiwind on Saturday.
Sources said that negotiations between the PML-N and the Likeminded group were almost confirmed as documents for the agreement had been given a final shape during the last meeting.
But the alliance would be formally forged near the Senate polls, the sources added. They said the PML-N had slowed down the application receiving process for Senate polls. It had set January 24 as the deadline, but extended it to January 31. Later, it unofficially conveyed to party leaders to continue sending their application until further directions, the sources said.
A senior PML-N leader told Pakistan Today that around 200 applications had been submitted with the party’s central secretariat, including that of Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa. Even Nawaz Sharif’s personal photographer has submitted an
application.
However, party leaders apprehended that those who stood by the party in hard times would not be awarded Senate tickets as a deal had already been struck and the fortunate candidates would be announced by Nawaz some days before the Senate polls.
PML-N Secretary Information Mushahid Ullah Khan said the party intended to forge an alliance with the likeminded group and it would even take on board the Unification Bloc for Senate polls to reward its leaders for what they did
for the party in Punjab.
He showed reservations on the petition filed for stopping Senate polls, saying the PML-N would not be part of any undemocratic move.
Meanwhile, the PML-Q forward bloc decided to field their own candidates for a Senate seat from Punjab and would oppose any move, even by the PML-N, to have an understanding with the ruling PPP for getting senators elected unopposed.
Dr Tahir Ali Javed, head of the 47-member group known as the Unification Bloc, complained that the PML-N leadership had not taken the unification bloc into confidence over the Senate elections as yet.
PML (N) is not keeping their cards close to their chest. In fact they do not have any cards and they do not know what to do. Their leadership is rigid, vindictive and at best mediocre compared with the cunning, clever and habitual cheaters of PPP. No future for PML (N)
The PML N as a party is going to be history shortly
This the time for PMLN to from mistakes and they should give senate tickets to party workers not those who jump recently.
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