Another third force
Neither time nor tide, it seems, can blunt Gen Musharraf’s ambitions. It has been a while since he reigned supreme over this Islamic Republic. Since then the thinning out of fair weather friends, the vindictive persecution on part of the present government, and the strain on the heart and the back would have made a lesser man bow out with what he had. But not this commando, obviously. Unable to do his magic in the ’13 election – though most stakeholders other than himself could read the writing on the wall – he is determined to give the throne one more shot.
But the matter about merging the leagues has been doing the rounds for a while now. If the press is to be trusted, it also gave rise to a leadership dispute; when one of his former ministers wanted to lead the leagues, with the general in second position. Now he’s tried to breathe fresh life into the initiative before it ran out of steam. A new grouping, apparently, is aiming to play the third force in the next general election. However, slogans like education and health emergency are one thing. It’s quite another matter to win enough seats. And how exactly Gen Musharraf is going to play an alliance of PMLs Quaid, Chattha, Jinnah, Likeminded, etc, to that end is not yet explained.
The reference to the ‘third force’, too, is somewhat misleading. Surely Gen Musharraf can’t dismiss PTI now as he used to – when he called it the tonga party – especially when most observers have already given it the ‘third force’ label. Yet his dilemma is understandable. The last bunch he can count on for support – other than some remnants of the old PML-Q – is the one he helped propel to power in the previous decade. Such is the character of Pakistani politics. And this is just one of the many lessons Gen Musharraf is learning as he tries to wade through this unforgiving landscape through proper process; one that does not involve the GHQ. That is why he’s taking on board whoever will answer his call. However, even if this league of leagues takes off, the general will have to modify his approach, and his alliances, if he’s to seriously impact the next election.