PML-N heaves sigh of relief as PPP's deadline fizzles out

Sources say top PML-N leadership was bracing for any ‘unfavourable’ situation arising out of Zardari’s...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has heaved a sigh of relief after the Pakistan Peoples Party’s much-hyped December 27 deadline fizzled out without creating ripples in the country’s political arena.

Due to this, the ruling party has put on hold the aggressive strategy it had chalked out to counter PPP in case the latter gave the federal government a tough time, The Express Tribune has learnt.

In this context, PML-N has decided to continue a two-pronged strategy – it will not politically engage the PPP over the opposition party’s four demands while continuing the Karachi operation at an intensified pace.

According to informed PML-N quarters, the party leadership led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held important meetings with his close confidantes including Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Pervaiz Rashid, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and others at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday ahead of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s speech on the ninth death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh.

The reported meetings discussed different options to respond to Zardari’s speech. These included mobilising the support of nationalist parties in Sindh against the PPP in case Zardari’s party adopted a confrontational path.

Contrary to expectations that his speech would be marked with direct threats to the prime minister and his government, Zardari adopted what many believe is an implied reconciliatory tone by announcing to ‘move to Punjab and entire Pakistan’ in pursuit of the four demands, and to contest elections along with his son Bilawal.

“Looks like the storm is over. Good riddance!” a senior PML-N leader remarked. “They kept on rattling the ‘four demands and December 27 deadline mantra’ and that’s all they had come up with,” he said referring to Zardari and his son’s speeches.

The source said the plan to aggressively counter PPP has been put on hold ‘just in case’. “In case PPP pose a challenge, the backup options will be exercised,” he said

Sources close to Premier Nawaz said the top PML-N leadership was bracing for any ‘unfavourable’ situation arising out of Zardari’s announcement amidst the likelihood of escalating tension between the federal government and opposition parties.

“Honestly, we were deterred. The PTI is already at daggers drawn with us on Panamagate. We really could not afford opening up another front, this time with PPP. And a grand opposition alliance would have simply been a nightmare. Glad, this looks to be over.”

The N-League said the situation in Karachi might have prompted Zardari to ‘bail out’ the prime minister and his government following the arrests of the key aides of Zardari’s frontmen Anwar Majeed and Manzoor Kaka by the Rangers. The sources said notes were exchanged on the Karachi situation during the meeting between the premier and the interior minister, which followed arrests of terror suspects in Karachi including a key aide of Rehman Bhola, the alleged mastermind of Baldia Town factory fire, on Tuesday.

PPP bigwig and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Khursheed Shah dispelled the impression that PPP had bailed out Nawaz’s government. “Instead of creating hue and cry, our top leaders — Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari— would land in parliament to give a tough time to the government. This is what real opposition is. To follow the democratic norms and challenge the treasury benches in parliament. At the same time, we would also ensure our presence on ground. Zardari sahib has announced that PPP would be in Punjab — and entire Pakistan — to mobilise public support for our four demands. Time will tell if our decision was right or wrong,” he told The Express Tribune.

To a query, Shah said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf launched street agitation against the prime minister but finally returned to parliament to have its voice heard. “Parliament is supreme. It’s the solution to problems.”

However, PTI leader Zar Gul Khan said PPP’s ‘mild tone’ was tantamount to bailing out the PML-N government. “It‘s a marriage of convenience.”

Khan seconded his leader Imran Khan’s observation that Zardari was the coach of Nawaz Sharif’s ‘corruption eleven cricket team’.  “[PPP] created so much hype but in the end, it was much ado about nothing.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2016.