There will be no grand alliance in the coming election
The chances for an alliance with PPP are very bleak in the broader context as PPP’s game is over in Punjab. A political worker is always prepared to jump into the election and we are ready to contest the polls at any time
Politics is all about the numbers game. The principle is simple: a political party can form its government only when it shows that it has won more seats than the other competing parties. PTI can undoubtedly pull large crowd in its public meetings but the party will have to learn the art of transforming its crowd numbers into voters if they really want to come into power. It is right to claim that PTI gave rise to a new trend in the politics of Pakistan by arranging massive public meetings and the youth of the country started attending the party’s meetings in droves. PTI could not win the general elections of 2013 but Imran Khan remained successful in keeping his party relevant.
Now with the election just a year-and-a-half away, the issue of Panama Leaks has given another opportunity to PTI to tighten the noose around the ruling party and Imran Khan has again started holding large public meetings in different cities, pulling maximum crowds. But merely attracting large crowds will not work as the winning candidate is required to have maximum number of votes to his name on the polling day.
It seems that 2017 will be election year as several political leaders including Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi of PTI have claimed that next general elections will be held next year. The arrival of Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi and formal launching of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during the week-long foundation day of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Lahore are also being taken as signs, by some people, of the chance of snap elections.
Punjab has been a stronghold of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) for long and recently concluded local government elections have rightly proved the popularity of PML-N among the masses in this province. Punjab will play a decisive role in the coming elections and therefore Bilawal spent one week in the provincial capital of Punjab in order to revive his party.
DNA talked exclusively to Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed, leader of the opposition in Punjab, about the changing political scenario and the political strategy of his party in the province in the coming elections.
Rasheed started his political career from the platform of Jamaat-e-Islami in the ‘80s and was elected as the Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Lahore in the elections of 1988 and 1990. He joined PTI in 1997 and played an important role in Imran Khan’s first large public gathering of 2011 at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan as he was the president of PTI Lahore at that time. Rasheed is considered among the close confidants of Imran Khan as he was nominated as leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly by Khan after the general elections of 2013. He was elected as MPA from one of the constituencies of Lahore in 2013 and has been working as the parliamentary leader of PTI and leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly since then.
Question: Good governance of any political set-up plays an important role in winning elections. PPP was routed in the last general elections because of its governance issues. Being the leader of the opposition of the country’s largest province, how do you see governance in Punjab?
Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed: In my opinion, it is the worst ever period of governance in Punjab as the situation of law and order is deteriorating with every passing day. It seems that Lahore has become Karachi because incidents of street crime have increased drastically despite the tall claims of good governance of PML-N-that has been ruling the province for last two consecutive terms. The rulers of this province have claimed frequently that ‘thana culture’ has changed but the fact is that an FIR of a common man is not launched for days. It is the worst example of the good governance that more than Rs200 billion are being spent on the Orange Line Metro Train — a project that will benefit only two percent of Lahore’s population. On the other hand, an amount of mere Rs166 billion was earmarked for the health of the province having a population of more than 100 million.
Punjab will be the battlefield and it will create the difference in the election and I am very sure that it will be a two-party contest. The election will be contested between PML-N and PTI as PPP has no chance of revival in the province
DNA: You criticised Shahbaz Sharif for occupying too many portfolios in Punjab. Now, the provincial cabinet has been expanded as 11 new ministers were inducted recently and Shahbaz Sharif relinquished the charge of some ministries. Do you think that governance will improve in the province after the expansion of the cabinet?
MMR: Shahbaz Sharif does not believe in devolution of power and therefore he kept the portfolios for a number of ministries for long but Sharif brothers are in hot waters since the issue of Panama Leaks surfaced and this very issue forced them to devolve the power in the province in a bid to appease the electables. I think that nothing will change with the induction of new ministers as they have been given only a vehicle carrying the national flag and some protocol staff.
Real power in Punjab rests with Shahbaz Sharif and some bureaucrats while ministers cannot take any decision independently. Sharif brothers talk about austerity measures but Shahbaz Sharif has just decided to buy a plane for himself worth Rs2 billion — keeping in view that he is the chief minister of a province where more than 12 million children are out of school.
DNA: Can PTI go for an alliance with other political parties in next elections? Is there any chance of PTI to have an alliance with PPP? What will be your strategy going forward?
MMR: There will be no grand alliance in the coming election but PTI can exercise the option of seat-to-seat adjustment with some like-minded political parties. The chances for an alliance with PPP are very bleak in the broader context as PPP’s game is over in Punjab. A political worker is always prepared to jump into the election and we are ready to contest the polls at any time. Our party has completed its home work and most of our candidates for national and provincial assemblies would be announced very soon; so they may get ample time to work on their respective constituencies.
DNA: Asif Ali Zardari is considered as a master of making political alliances. Do you think that his arrival will have a major impact on the political situation?
MMR: Asif Ali Zardari went into self-exile after giving statements against the establishment when some people of his party were caught in corruption scandals. Now he has come back to convey a message that he is no more against the military establishment. In my view, Zardari will be back very soon and he cannot create any difference in the prevailing political situation of the country and the condition of PPP will remain unchanged.
DNA: PTI has six seats of national assembly from Punjab while the party has 30 MPAs in the province. There are 148 seats of national assembly from Punjab and any party can form the government in centre after conquering Punjab. And now PPP has also started focusing on this province. Where do you see PTI in the next elections? Is the resurgence of PPP a threat for PTI?
MMR: Yes, Punjab will be the battlefield and it will create the difference in the election and I am very sure that it will be a two-party contest. The election will be contested between PML-N and PTI as PPP has no chance of revival in the province. PPP is in no mood to revive itself in the Punjab as it is evident from its recent foundation day of Lahore. All the workers of different areas were confined to the bunker of Bilawal house for the celebration. Political parties are not revived in this way as their leaders have to come out from their bunkers in order to go to the masses. I am quite sure that PTI will emerge as a major party of Punjab in the next elections.
DNA: Imran Khan severely criticises the leadership of PPP but one can see that PTI and PPP follow the same path in the Punjab Assembly where you are the parliamentary leader of your party. Why there is contradiction in your political approach in the center and Punjab?
MMR: I am the leader of the opposition in the house and it is my responsibility to talk to every member sitting on the opposition benches. The members of PPP support our stance and therefore we have made joint opposition alliance in the house but this alliance is only confined to the Punjab Assembly.
DNA: Do you think that the performance of the assembly improves if it is regularly visited by the leader of the house? If yes, then why was the performance of PPP the worst even when Yousaf Raza Gillani was regular in attending the national assembly sessions?
MMR: Yes, the performance of the house and lawmakers improves drastically in the presence of the leader of the house and members of the cabinet also start attending the proceedings regularly. I am sure that the overall condition of the province can be improved after giving importance to this august house but it is unfortunate that Shahbaz Sharif comes to the house on just two or three occasions in the whole parliamentary year. As far as the case of Yousaf Raza Gillani is concerned, it depends on the individual really. Gillani used to come to the house just to mark the attendance and therefore the performance of PPP could not improve during his tenure. One thing must be clear to the rulers that they will have to give importance to parliament if they really want to solve the problems of the masses.
DNA: Many political leaders are claiming that 2017 will be the election year. What do you think as a political worker?
MMR: The date of the next general election will depend on the Supreme Court’s decision on Panama Leaks and this case is going to play an important role in the election campaign as well. If the government announces to conduct the census in the next year then it will be difficult to hold the elections the same year.
