PML-N stands to benefit from opposition disarray

Opposition motto seems to be divided we stand, united we fall

ISLAMABAD: The opposition may be rolling up its sleeves to make the anti-government measures a success in a bid to prevent the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) from attaining majority in the Senate in the March election, but its plan are far from materialising owing to serious differences between parties.

The divide in the opposition forces is likely to benefit the federal government because opposition parties are set to launch their separate strategies against the PML-N.

To counter the opposition, the PML-N has launched its political campaign to mobilise public support by arranging political gatherings in different parts of the country ahead of the general elections.



Following failed attempts to attract public in significant number in Lahore’s recent public gathering organised by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, senior leaderships of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Pakistan People’s Party are not only locked in internal differences but also blame one another for the debacle, according to sources in direct knowledge of the related developments.

Requesting anonymity, a senior PTI leader said Chairman Imran Khan and his aides initially wanted to be part of the PAT’s protest campaign and to resort agitation ‘till 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 PAT, which would take credit in case the movement managed to draw any kind of political leverage.



After the PPP decided that it would participate in the PAT’s campaign for one day, the PTI too followed the course.

Moreover, the PAT chief, who initially wanted to launch the protest campaign instead of a public gathering, had to change his plan and announced to hold 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.

Earlier, Qadri had announced launching and continuing the countrywide protests till the ouster of PML’s Punjab and federal governments.

In addition, soon after Qadri announced the anti-government campaign, PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari was quick to tell the media that the PPP would not become part of any ‘conspiracies’ to topple the PML-N government even though, later, the PPP leadership kept claiming that the party would be part of the ‘full-fledged’ campaign to send the PML-N government packing while siding with PAT.



The PTI source said the party leadership sees with mistrust the motives of the PPP leadership as far as the anti-government measures at the center are concerned.

Reportedly, the PTI leadership and some other political circles are of the view that despite an apparent anti-government reiteration, the PPP would not resort to any measure to destabilise the federal government.

This has much to do with reports of an underhand deal between the PPP and the PML-N allegedly reached last month which resulted in the PPP’s support to legislate on constituencies’ delimitation in the Senate in return for the assurances of 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 with the PML-N’s support.

Reports also suggested that the PML-N and the PPP were in silent agreement over the elevation of Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur as next chairperson of the Senate which is why the PPP would not resort to topple the PML-N government in order to delay the Senate polls.

Zardari’s policies are said to have aggrieved senior PPP leadership in Punjab which favours aggressive political posturing on the part of the PPP to take on the PML-N government to make inroads in Punjab’s politics ahead of the general polls.

In another move that magnifies serious rift between opposition forces, the PTI chairman’s diatribe in which he cursed parliament has not gone down well with the PPP as the leaders of Zardari’s party have joined hands with the government members in condemning Khan and his party.

Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and senior PPP leader Khursheed Shah has denied having reached any underhand deal, saying the PPP’s decision to participate in the PAT’s public gathering 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.

“In this context, we participated in the PAT rally to demand justice for Model Town victims. This has no political dimensions,” he told The Express Tribune, when approached.

He denied that PAT revised its plan from protests to public gathering due to 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 and ‘other’ plans would follow.

To a query regarding underhand 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 was no deal whatsoever between PML-N and PPP,” he added.