'Troubles of PTI have just begun'

PML-N leader says it appears ‘selectors’ have withdrawn their support as coalition partners are piling pressure

LAHORE: With the coalition partners voicing their concerns with the ruling PTI government over unfulfilled promises, sources in the PML-N see it as “selectors of the PTI” withdrawing their support that managed to insulate the government from all its troubles.

A PML-N leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that it was not a mere coincidence that all coalition partners of the PTI have expressed their reservations at the same time.

The leader said this does not mean that it is the end of the road for the PTI government as the ordeal has just begun. “They will soon be on their own with no one to protect them from falling,” the leader said. “The ‘selectors’ have their own reputation to protect for gambling on incompetent people.”

The leader said that with the protective shield out of the way, all what opposition parties “need to do is wait for the government to fall under its own weight of incompetence”.

Another PML-N leader said the PML-N would fully support Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who has hinted at launching another movement in a bid to topple the PTI government. “Nawaz Sharif suggested in a letter to Rehman (chief of his own faction of the JUI-F) prior to his ‘Azadi March’, to wait till after the extension in the tenure of the army chief.

“The decision taken by the PML-N is aimed at neutralising the opposing forces, and sending the establishment a good message.”

The leader said that from what they perceived, their leadership had taken a decision to tell the establishment that the PML-N had abandoned their policy of confrontation.

It is; however, pertinent to mention here that the PML-N for many months has been claiming that the “selectors of PTI” had realised their mistakes and that the PTI government’s time was over. Despite these predications and collective struggle from opposition parties to take the government down, the PTI is quite far on a smooth sail. This was the first major jolt to the PTI government after all its allies openly or covertly expressed their reservations over not fulfilling the promises made while seeking their support to form the government at the Centre.

The PML-N Punjab spokesperson, Azma Bukhari, however, said the party’s decision to support the move of the government regarding the extension in the army chief’s tenure was not part of any deal.

“The decision has been taken in national interest,” she said, adding that the party had actually mishandled the situation, which led to an impression of a divide within the party ranks.

“The decision to support the bill had already been taken ahead of the other parties. The only difference is that the PML-N stood its ground whereas other parties dilly-dallied.”