Zardari reaches out to PML-Q for support

Discusses with Chaudhry brothers opposition parties’ consensus to send PM packing

ISLAMABAD:

Former president Asif Ali Zardari on Monday reached out to the ruling party’s only ally in Punjab – the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) – just a couple of days after the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership met the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders to chalk out a strategy to oust the incumbent government.

Reaching out to the government ally by the former president not only sent a clear message to the ruling PTI but has given a push to the opposition parties’ attempt to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from office as the Chaudhry brothers have a reputation as kingmakers because of their political influence behind the scenes.

Officially, people privy to the development revealed that the former PPP president reached the residence of senior PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Lahore on Monday and inquired after his health.

However, they said, the meeting was not only limited to that as the political situation, possible future alliance and opposition parties’ newly built consensus to send PM Imran packing was discussed in detail over dinner.

They said that Zardari spent roughly two-and-a-half hours with Shujaat, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema, Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi and MNA Chaudhry Salik Hussain to discuss the ongoing political situation and the future course of action.

During the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, sources revealed, Zardari met the Chaudhry brothers alone for roughly half an hour. In the absence of any official confirmation, it has been conjectured that Zardari tried to convince the PML-Q leadership to quit the government coalition as they were being equally blamed for all government policies and actions.

Political commentators have often noted that the PPP sees PML-Q and Awami National Party (ANP) as its future allies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and has been holding frequent meetings with the leadership of both the parties so that it could get their support when the time comes.

The PPP and PML-Q meeting has come at a time when the ruling party is pushing its narrative of “all is well” while its allies have openly been saying that they can’t justify the government’s performance, especially the sky-rocketing inflation, when they go to people in their constituencies.

Nevertheless, the allies have constantly been supporting the government in its every crucial move, including passage of the mini-budget and legislation giving the State Bank of Pakistan complete autonomy and, resultantly, bearing the brunt of public criticism as the government is moving ahead only with their support.

Had it not been for the allies, political observers say, the government would not have survived when PM Imran needed vote of confidence from the National Assembly following a setback on the capital’s seat in the Senate election.

The Chaudhry brothers – famously known as the Chaudhrys of Gujrat – have frequently said that PM Imran should make difficult decisions to make public lives better as being a coalition partner of the ruling PTI, PML-Q is worried about the government’s policies.

The meeting has come on the day when it was reported that the leadership of PTI allies in Sindh – especially the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) – said that how could people be satisfied with MQM-P when they were not satisfied with the performance of PM Imran.

At a time when the ruling party is gearing up for the upcoming local government elections in Punjab after losing to the JUI-F in its stronghold – Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the meeting between opposition parties as well as Zardari approaching to the PML-Q has set the alarms bells ringing in the power corridors.