It is official now. All efforts of seat adjustment by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) with both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have been called off and the party has decided to go solo in the upcoming elections, empowering its district office-bearers to seek any adjustment locally, Pakistan Today has learnt.
“Since there is no threat from a common enemy – the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) – against whom the JI and PML-N have been got together in the past, both parties have decided to go solo. Moreover, Imran Khan’s PTI has also not responded positively,” a source in the JI said.
Last week, JI chief Syed Munawar Hassan said his party’s talks continued with the PTI and PML-N for seat adjustment. The JI will be contesting the upcoming general elections on the symbol of ‘scale’, while the PTI has been allocated cricket bat and the PML-N lion as their election symbols.
Following eagerness shown by the PTI and PML-N for seat adjustment with the JI, both political parties had formed respective committees, however, despite several sittings held separately between the JI leadership and PTI and PML-N delegations, no concrete development could emerge.
“Both parties – PTI and PML-N – have kept the JI engaged for the past few months but their non-seriousness has convinced the JI leadership to close doors of any talks at the national or provincial levels with both parties,” the source added.
The source added that actually, the PTI was insisting that the JI choose between the PML-N and PTI, however, the JI wanted to make arrangements at different seats with both parties simultaneously.
The source said the PTI was closer to the ideology and policies of the JI and the leadership of both parties had been on the same page on sensitive and important issues being faced by the country.
However, Imran Khan made the partnership conditional, which was opposed by some JI leaders who wanted to make arrangement with the PML-N in Lahore to suit their chances for election, the source added.
“This relationship tasted an unnecessary bitterness over the battle for election symbol of scale. Moreover, initial talks with the PML-N further deteriorated chances of talks between the PTI and JI,” the source added.
The source added that the PML-N leadership was not serious in striking an agreement as Nawaz thought he had already won the polls – thanks to the heavyweights he had gathered around him from across the country.
JI spokesman Anwar Niazi confirmed to Pakistan Today that the party’s leadership had closed the chapter of seat adjustment with the PTI or PML-N.
“Due to the non-serious approach of both parties, we have decided to close this chapter,” he said, adding that the party’s district-level leadership had been empowered to enter into seat adjustment with the party that suited them.
Asked whether there was any cooperation already reached with any political party in any district, the JI leader said the local leadership had been asked to decide per their convenience.