Will it materialise or end up as a storm in a teacup?
The meeting on Sunday between two hardboiled politicians, Asif Ali Zardari and Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, led to an agreement to collect the rest of the opposition to create a grand opposition alliance. Both took pains to clarify that it was not meant to overthrow the government before elections nor in any way destabilise the system. The alliance will not even call for early polls. The clarification was required to distinguish the proposed alliance policy from Imran Khan’s total confrontation whatever its political consequences. As Ch. Shujaat out it, the alliance “will not let the democracy be hijacked.”
The Alliance it appears would take a joint stand on national issues. While Shujaat calls it a one point agenda alliance, Zardari has further elaborated it by underlining that it would formulate a joint stand on matters related to legislation and on issues like initiating a movement. With the PTI chief rejecting any understanding with Zardari out of hand, the grouping might seek the support of other smaller groups represented in Parliament. The announcement will meanwhile provide more maneuvering space to parties like the JUI and nationalist groups like NP and PKMAP currently a part of the ruling alliance who feel the PML-N continues to ignore some of their demands. Some of these parties are led by hard bargainers. The announcement has come as a gift from God to JUI-F, which is led by a practitioner of realpolitik. The PML-N will have to accede to Fazl ur Rehman’s unending demands that now include the slot of the CII chairman due to be filled next month and a federal ministry taken away from the party when one of its Senators was elevated to the post of deputy chairman Senate. Tahir ul Qadri still nourishes the grudge against Nawaz Sharif while he has been maltreated by the PTI. The new alliance provides him a chance to reenter the political arena
It remains to be seen if the alliance is able to make a significant impact on national politics.