The opposition may be rolling up its sleeves to prevent the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) from attaining a majority in the Senate in the March election, but its plan is far from fruition due to serious differences between parties.
The divide in the opposition forces – the opposition parties are set to launch their own strategies against the PML-N – is likely to benefit the ruling party.
To counter the opposition, the PML-N has launched a campaign to mobilise public support by arranging political gatherings in different parts of the country ahead of the general elections.
Following unsuccessful attempts to attract members of the public in significant numbers at a recent public gathering in Lahore organised by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), senior leaderships of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are not only locked in internal differences but also blame one another for the debacle, according to sources with direct knowledge of the developments.
Requesting anonymity, a senior PTI leader said that party chairman Imran Khan and his aides initially wanted to be part of the PAT’s protest campaign and to resort to agitation “until the removal of the government”, as announced by PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri.
However, some senior leaders close to the PTI chairman opposed the idea, given that the protest campaign was mainly being organised by the PAT, which would take credit should the movement manage to gain political leverage.
After the PPP decided that it would participate in the PAT’s campaign for a day, the PTI too followed suit.
Moreover, the PAT chief, who initially wanted to launch the protest campaign, had to change his plan and announced plans for a public gathering instead and end the “first phase of the protest campaign” in a day, fearing lack of support from the PPP and the PTI.
Qadri had previously announced plans for countrywide protests until the PML’s Punjab and federal governments are ousted.
In reaction to Qadri’s announcement, PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari told the media that the PPP would not be part of any “conspiracies” to topple the PML-N government.
However, the PPP leadership said subsequently that the party would be part of the “full-fledged” campaign to topple the PML-N government.
The PTI source said that the party leadership mistrusts the motives of the PPP as far as the anti-government measures are concerned.
Reportedly, the PTI leadership and certain circles are of the view that despite the PPP’s declaration of support for anti-government action, the party would not resort to any measure to destabilise the federal government.
This has much to do with reports of an underhanded deal between the PPP and the PML-N, allegedly reached last month which resulted in the PPP’s support in the Senate for legislation on the delimitation of constituencies, in return for the assurances by the PML-N leadership in securing some seats in the Senate polls from the Punjab’s quota, and some seats from southern Punjab in general elections.
Reports also suggested that the PML-N and the PPP were in agreement over the elevation of Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur as next chairperson of the Senate.
Zardari’s policies are said to have miffed senior PPP leaders in Punjab, who favour aggressive political posturing on the part of the PPP to take on the PML-N state government.
In another development that worsens the rift between opposition forces, PTI chairman Khan’s diatribe against parliament has not gone down well with the PPP, with leaders of Zardari’s party joining hands with PML-N members to condemn Khan and his party.
Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah has however denied having reached any underhanded deal.
He said that the PPP’s decision to participate in the PAT’s public gathering in Lahore was taken to show solidarity with the Model Town carnage victims in view of Justice Baqir Najfi’s inquiry report, which, according to Shah, directly blamed Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah for the killings.
“We participated in the PAT rally to demand justice for Model Town victims. This has no political dimensions,” Shah said.
He dismissed the notion that the PAT revised its plan – from staging protests to a public gathering – due to concern over the lack of support from the PPP, adding that PAT’s decision, right from the onset, was to arrange a day-long event in the “first stage” of the protest campaign, to be followed by “other” plans.
To a query regarding an underhanded deal, Shah said: “We are going to arrange a public gathering in Lahore on February 5, which would unnerve the rulers in Punjab.”
“In the days to come, our aggressive political activities would make it clear to you that there is no deal whatsoever between PML-N and PPP,” he added.