- It’s not just the opposition
Signs of strain with the PML-Q alliance in Punjab first appeared at the time of the leaked video which showed Ch Pervez Elahi and Co complaining to Jahangir Tareen about Ch Sarwar. Now it turns out that PTI’s casual brushing the incident under the carpet didn’t quite reflect ground reality as it was developing. The Chaudharis are, indeed, unhappy with PTI because the ruling party is not fulfilling promises that sealed the alliance in the first place. Still, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary has assured everybody, once again, that all is well and differences, however long they persist, are indicative of healthy democratic principles.
But that, as we know, is not all of it. The night before CM Buzdar was unable to break the ice with Ch Pervez, MQM expressed similar concerns for strikingly similar reasons. Only the promise not honoured with them related to legislation regarding devolving powers from provinces to local governments as opposed to more provincial and federal ministries like PML-Q. And not long before that BNP-M publically lamented the fact that PTI had not taken it seriously, and ignored all its pleas, ever since the election. Fair to say, then, that PTI’s provincial alliances have come under pressure at the same time.
Considering how thin the ruling party’s majority is, it is quite surprising that it has left all allies feeling ignored and left out. And, once you break it down, it’s not going to be easy to mend all these fences instantly. It seems there’s little appetite for some of BNP-M’s more nationalistic demands at the moment. And you could give PML-Q the ministers it wants but how’ll that rub other allies, not to mention some within the party? And MQM’s unlikely to get much in terms of legislation empowering the grass roots just yet, because that’ll give that much more power to PML-N local governments in Punjab.
It’s clear that it’s not just the opposition that is unhappy with the government. PTI will have to urgently review its working relationship with its allies lest it triggers yet more uncertainty in the country’s politics.
