The  Zardari line

The PML-N had overreacted to Zardari’s arrival by misinterpreting the motives behind his decision to return and personally take command of the PPP. Zardari’s address at Garhi Khuda Bux indicates he had come in fact to control what he considered deviations in the PPP represented by Bilawal’s populist rhetoric  which had the support of some of the prominent PPP leaders from Punjab. Zardari  has made it clear that instead of challenging the government in the streets, the party would criticise the government’s failures in Parliament. Zardari  and Bilwal would get themselves elected in by-elections to lead the PPP parliamentary party. Zardari has assured that  he would like the PML-N government to complete its tenure.

This implies an end to Bilawal’s bravado. Henceforth, PPP’s line of action would be devised by Zardari himself who believes that the age of political movements has been overtaken by an era of  negotiations and give and take. Thus Bilawal’s long march has been turned into a countrywide contact campaign by the PPP Chairman. Whatever grand alliance was visualised during the Zardari-Shujaat meeting would be confined to Parliament where opposition parties would jointly expose the  government’s policies.  The Zardari  line implies no to street agitation, thus distancing the PPP from PTI.

The policy will ensure the PPP government in Sindh a  hassle free  tenure.  The PPP hardliners wanted to give the PML-N a tough time in Punjab. They will now have to evolve a strategy which can achieve this without indulging in agitational politics in the province. The PPP opponents like PTI and JI would call it a policy of surrender to the PML-N and use the argument to isolate PPP in the province. The new PPP policy would however help strengthen democratic traditions, which require allowing the ruling party to complete its tenure and hand over power to whichever party wins majority in the next elections. One expects that now the electoral reforms process would be completed more expeditiously  and  the next general elections would restore public  confidence  in the electoral process, which has been badly shaken.