Squabble over the caretaker dispensation
The politicians may finally agree on a caretaker setup. After all they managed to develop a consensus on the names of the CEC and the four members of the ECP. What stands in the way are inflexible attitudes. Both the PPP and the PML-N have meanwhile undertaken actions that add to the already considerable reservoir of mutual suspicions. The sending of the MQM to the opposition benches in Sindh weeks before the dismissal of the assemblies was widely seen to be a manoeuvre by both to have a caretaker setup of their own choice in Sindh. The arrangement worked out with Chief Minister Raisani in Balochistan is yet another provocation for the opposition and the nationalist parties. In this case as well the motive is to have a pliable interim setup in the province.
The PML-N is using the timing of the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly to bring Raja Pervez Ashraf round to accept one of its nominees for the interim prime minister. While agreeing in principle on holding the elections on the same day, Shahbaz Sharif has said that he may not dismiss the Punjab Assembly on March 19 unless the PML-N’s specific conditions were met. Ch. Nisar Ali knew very well that the two nominees suggested by him were bound to draw an angry response from the PPP. He then insisted that no changes would be made in the names as they had been proposed after consultations with 13 opposition parties. He also refused to reconsider the name of Justice (Retd) Shakirullah Jan who was initially among the three names proposed by him but later dropped without assigning any reason. The arbitrary withdrawal of his name without consulting the PML-N’s newly-found ally Fazlur Rehman has led to a strong remonstrance from the latter. In case the top political leadership fails to reach an understanding by Tuesday night, the task is likely to become more difficult when the issue is taken up by the eight-member bipartisan committee. Despite all their claims to have learnt from the past, the mainstream parties continue to take actions that contribute to mutual distrust. The hunch for caretaker setups of their choice is aimed at making the full use of whatever space is thus made available for pre-election rigging. The first step any partisan caretaker setup is likely to take is to appoint field officers during the elections best suited to implement their agenda.
At the end of the day, a give and take is not entirely ruled out. The matter is now to be decided by Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, the later returning to Pakistan on Monday. In case they too fail and the issue lands up at the ECP’s table, this would be considered as yet another surrender of the political turf to an unelected body.
