Asif Ali Zardari must be wearing a grin as broad as the faade of the presidential mansion. Even a remote possibility that a multi-party coalition that many thought was in the works (no prizes for guessing where the inspiration may have come from) to challenge and overthrow this fourth PPP fling at power has evaporated in thin air. This ugly verbal slugfest, the aggressive trade in allegations initiated by the PML(N) and joined with unseemly gusto by the MQM, has taken care of that.
Politicians all over the world take vicarious pleasure in painting their adversaries in colours that are sordid. But what Waseem Akhtar and Haider Abbas Rizvi indulged in bang in front of the Parliament House while responding to Ch Nisars diatribe was pure sleaze.
The really amusing part was that the MQM duo didnt trash Nisars allegations (that Altaf Hussain has not been in these parts for the last 19 years, that after adopting the British nationality he is a subject of Her Majesty, that his personal life as detailed by his wife when filing for divorce taints him, that he has been through an unsuccessful rehab programme for alcoholism at a clinic outside London). Since they couldnt cut to the quick, they instead went berserk with threats of exposure and counter-allegations, some of these intensely personal in nature, among others related to the character and countenance of the Sharif brothers.
Again, as if we had forgotten, it was a reminder that the MQM considered itself beyond the pale of criticism and would subdue it with whatever it took.
As furious as it was foulmouthed, the MQM fusillade was definitely counter-productive; for more than Nawaz and his younger sibling it has ended up hurting the MQMs image. The vibes from Altaf Hussain suggest that tempers will from now on be kept in check, and while throwing mud at each other may not be eschewed entirely, at least some care will be taken about the verbiage. Even so, it is now pretty obvious that the PML(N) and the MQM will not be sitting on the same side of the fence any time soon.
That should leave the PPP exultant, for it effectively takes care of the real scare of PML(N) and MQM aligning against it.
Yet given the fact that two of its bigger partners have quit the coalition, the key question remains: Is the PPP government under a cogent threat? Well, everyone who could lend a hand to upset the applecart swears hand-on-heart that their intent is not to destabilise the government or derail democracy. And this includes the two parting members in JUI(F) and the MQM from the federal cabinet, with only the former choosing to go across the aisle and sit in opposition. Both claim that they just want their grievances addressed.
And without the PML(N), no alliance can topple the current dispensation, and on this count Mian Nawaz Sharif is on record saying that he is not interested in the venture. For the PPP, that secures a critical flank; for whichever way you do your sums, in this scenario the numbers to get it are not there.
Also, after overtures from the PPP, more specifically President Zardaris intervention, there were hints that both the MQM and the JUI(F) may soften their stance and may even return to the coalition in the not too distant a future. The question is what would clinch the deal for each of them?
The wily Maulana may only be too happy to have his nominee land the federal religious ministry in addition to the two ministerial slots that it had controlled. That is his pound of flesh and he is likely to extract it.
There may be other grouses, but whatever its rhetoric, the key thing that the MQM is pining for is the control of Karachi. That is the only major national issue with it. Zulfiqar Mirzas tirade was only a minor sprinkling of salt in the wound. The real pain is their fief having been taken away from them. And the ANP taking them on their own turf and employing their method of terror to exert and extend its control.
If the PPP shuns returning to the old system of bureaucratic control and reins in its only steadfast ally so far, the ANP, the MQM would have no qualms in returning to the fold with or without Mirzas head.
And the consummate politician that he has turned out to be, President Zardari knows that with such chips lying on his side of the table, he could clinch a deal with the MQM on the drop of a hat. Hence, the relaxed mien.
So, in the near future the PPP is likely to tackle outside political challenges and, given the situation, with some aplomb. It is the issue of governance and corruption that is continuing to haunt it. Here too it may have a scapegoat in Yousuf Raza Gilani, rumoured to be on the firing line for his lapses in these areas.
There are reportedly two charges against the prime minister. These read: lack of governance, involvement (the Hajj scam, the NICL, the appointment of favourites in key positions) and failure in reining in corruption. And there is a third one: being too cozy with Nawaz Sharif irks the PPP cadre. Is he up for a sack? The rumour mills say so.
The writer is Sports and Magazines Editor, Pakistan Today.
