Zardari lone mast of PPP, Q ship

• PPP, Q leaguers sit for last time to save ‘transparent arrangement’
• Wattoo says agreement on 95% seats approved
• Agha says breakthrough made on 86 NA, 180 PA seats
• Gujrat, other controversial seats remain ‘pending’

A last-minute intervention by President Asif Ali Zardari has saved the seat-adjustment arrangement between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and leaders of both parties were to have a final sitting late on Wednesday with hopes of moving forward, but the “transparent arrangement” may not last as aspirants of party tickets are pushing the leadership of both parties to go solo, Pakistan Today has learnt.

Though the leaders of both parties made tall claims ahead of the final sitting between, insiders on both sides said whether or not talks broke down, seat-adjustment would not last long and violations of the pact would be made due to weak grip of party leadership and lesser chances of win in the upcoming polls.

PPP Punjab President Mian Manzoor Wattoo was upbeat about the prospects of dialogue process ahead of his late night meeting with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, saying both parties had agreed on 95 percent seats while the rest would also be agreed.

“We have agreed on 95 percent seats. Rest would also be finalised tonight. We will also run a joint election campaign,” he asserted.

On the other hand, PML-Q Secretary-Information Kamil Ali Agha also seemed optimistic.

“Though a doomsday scenario is being painted by some media outlets, our talks are heading successfully. A lot of progress has been made in last night’s meeting held between President Asif Zardari and Pervez Elahi. Tonight the talks on seat adjustment would conclude,” he added.

Asked that if the talks were so successful, why insiders in both parties were painting a doomsday scenario, Agha said history was in the making through such a massive seat-adjustment plan.

“For the first time in history, seat-adjustment has been made on 86 National Assembly seats and 180 provincial assembly constituencies. The rest is being discussed,” he added.

Asked about the constituencies which were bone of contention between both parties, Agha admitted differences were yet to be resolved.

“We will leave some constituencies, including Gujrat, but this would be made with understanding and consensus. For the time being, constituencies like Gujrat and others are pending,” he added.

However, even though the top leadership of both parties has agreed in principle over the seat-adjustment formula for the upcoming elections, a majority of leaders is still bent on going solo.

According to sources, a marathon meeting was held between President Asif Ali Zardari, PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain and Pervez Elahi on Tuesday night in a bid to make any headway.

The sources said consensus had been reached only on 30 percent constituencies, while talks were being held to give a final nod to the remaining 70 percent constituencies which included some high-profile seats, particularly in Punjab.

Similarly, both parties were yet to finalise the candidates on seats won by the PML-N, which would be a real test for the coalition partners, they added.

The sources said it was NA-105 constituency of Gujrat that remained a bone of contention between the leadership of both parties. “According to the seat adjustment formula made between PPP and PML-Q, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar has the right to claim NA-105 as he defeated PML-Q chief Shujaat there in 2008 elections,” the sources said.

But Elahi also filed his nomination papers from the constituency and has already launched a massive drive in the area.

The sources maintained that it could be the breaking point of the alliance, as the PML-Q had no right to vie for the constituency under the agreed formula between the two parties.

Interestingly, the PML-Q leadership is not going to press Zardari to withdraw former water and power minister Ahmed Mukhtar in favour of Elahi.

The sources said under the earlier seat-adjustment meetings, the PPP had agreed not to field candidates against potential Q players. However, the agreement was being challenged now. “In such a scenario how will the PPP-Q go into May 11 elections together,” a Q-leaguer argued.

Ties between the leadership of both parties turned sour last month and subsequently the parleys for possible seat-adjustment between them were suspended when the PPP leadership succeeded in wooing PML-Q’s former minister Sardar Bahadur Khan Seehar from Layyah and offered its half a dozen stalwarts to contest the elections on PPP tickets.

However, both parties are back on the table to do away with their differences, with Zardari intervening in the matter. However, anti-alliance groups in both sides have still been pressing their leaderships to part ways.

According to the seat adjustment formula, each party would name candidates for the seats won by it in the last elections and would not pitch candidate against the other.

In a constituency where neither of the parties emerged victorious, the party that had secured the second highest number of votes would field a candidate. The sources said some members of National Assembly and members of provincial assembly also joined the PML-N and the PPP and PML-Q leadership wanted to adjust their candidates on such seats.

However, under the formula, the PPP seemed a major loser as many of its candidates lost to PML-Q in 2008 in various districts of Punjab, including Gujrat, Jhang, Khanewal, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan.

Similarly, a similar problem faces the PML-Q in several areas, where it possesses elect-ables, but the PPP is not ready to keep the field vacated.

They said one of the major reasons behind the deadlock was that the leadership of both coalition partners were waiting for the PML-N to award tickets.

“It seems after failing to get the party tickets, many of the PML-N leaders could join the PPP or PML-Q and that’s why both parties are in hope that more elect-ables may join them,” said the source.

Political experts were of the view that the seat-adjustment between the PPP and PML-Q would benefit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as the PPP workers seemed in no mood to vote for PML-Q candidate and vice versa, hence, they could vote for PTI’s candidates to defeat PML-N.