A proxy war within the PML-N

And the Baluchistan gambit

Despite the clever programming, there are still a few rough edges to the system. An exercise is ongoing to smooth them out.  The PML-N therefore would do well to revise its calculations regarding the number of its National Assembly seats in the forthcoming elections. The party is likely to face a comedown as a result of the moves on the chessboard helped by   divisions within the party’s own ranks. While a proxy war continues to rage in the PML-N, the players who brought down its government in Baluchistan are set to launch a new political party that can be of use both in the province and in the shake-up at the national level. Meanwhile one awaits the moves that are going to be made to encourage the dissenters to break ranks with the PML-N leadership.

The hawks and the doves in the PML-N have refused to end their infighting despite the truce, which led to Shahbaz Sharif getting elected as the party chairman. While the doves led by Shahbaz Sharif have called for reconciliation between politicians, generals and judges, the hawks want to turn the elections into a referendum against the judges who disqualified Nawaz Sharif. Unlike the Punjab Chief Minister they do not consider the ongoing confrontation as baseless while they entertain no hopes of reconciliation. The lack of response to Nawaz Sharif’s offer for talks would further add to the obduracy of the hawks.

The new party being formed in Baluchistan is aimed at getting rid of the nationalists in the PKMAP and the ANP who are more outspoken about their criticism of the establishment while also maintaining an alliance with the PML-N. Their removal from parliamentary politics could be aided by the JUI-F – a rival in the province on the prowl as elections approach. The likely outcome therefore is that of a hung parliament. At the federal level the new party from Baluchistan would be required to join the shaky alliance that is likely to be hammered together after the forthcoming elections.