As the political arena heats up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ahead of the general elections, two current coalition partners – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP) – have embarked on an undeclared cold war against each other.
The race between the two parties started recently with the appointment of Anwar Saifullah Khan as the PPP’s provincial chief in place of Senator Sardar Ali Khan. Right after assuming office early this year in September, Saifullah announced to discontinue the alliance with the ANP for the election and post-election period. Instead, he hinted of forming alliances and seat-to-seat adjustment with opposition parties, including Pakistan Muslim League (PML) factions, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, and other opposition leaders. Even in his native Lakki Marwat district, Saifullah conveyed a positive message to his family’s traditional rivals – the family of late MNA Haji Kabir Khan.
Saifullah has also been focusing on reactivating party workers and stalwarts. In this respect, he holds daily meetings with PPP workers, and supervises arrangements for the upcoming elections. In order to win over the conservative population, he recently called Taliban “brethren”, saying the PPP “intends to hold talks with them.” He has also remained quiet about terrorist attacks, particularly on ANP leaders.
In the run up to the upcoming elections, Saifullah is eyeing seat-to-seat adjustments with other political parties. He has shown interest in PML factions, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Aftab Sherpao’s recently-established Quami Watan Party (QWP). Seat-to-seat adjustments between the PPP and PML factions is not a hard job for Anwar Saifullah, as his brother Salim Saifullah is leading the PML-Likeminded which recently allied with the PML-N. Similarly, Anwar Saifullah’s soft corner for Sherpao could bring the PPP and the QWP closer. In fact, both Saifullah and Sherpao have had similar ideas about the ANP – something which could unite them in the upcoming general elections.
While most ANP leaders are carefully watching the developments, they are also discussing hostile statements by the PPP’s provincial chief. According to insiders, the ANP high command has directed its office bearers and ministers to remain silent, yet alert to Saifullah’s policies.
Over the past four years, the ANP has backed the PPP government on every platform and all of its policies. However, the hostile statements by newly-elected PPP KP president are becoming a source of concern among ANP leaders. In response to Saifullah’s renunciation of alliance with the ANP ahead of the elections, ANP Provincial President Senator Afrasaib Khattak said that his party needed no alliance with any party, and that it would contest the next election on the basis of its performance.
Saifullah’s statement about the Taliban that they are “our brothers” also exacerbates the differences within the two parties. ANP leaders said that dozens of their workers and leaders, including parliamentarians, had rendered sacrifices to save the country from militants, but the PPP provincial president was calling them “brothers”. Whatever may be the PPP’s strategy regarding the post-election scenario, Saifullah’s nomination as PPP provincial president has taken away the chance of an alliance or understanding with the JUI-F.
