Uncertainty abounds around allies' line on no-trust

Allies putting off pressing matters until the very last minute as uncertainty hangs over meetings

ISLAMABAD:

Lurching from talks to talks and holding a flurry of meetings to carve out a favourable arrangement, the allies of the ruling party have remained studiously cagey about their stance on the no-confidence motion as both the government and opposition continue to peddle their narratives.

Leaders, especially those who have acquired a central place in the current political climate, appear to have grown accustomed to skirting difficult decisions and choosing a date in the future when they will be forced to try again, often with the same outcome.

Meanwhile, a ubiquitous declaration after every meeting has become the latest fodder for netizens and memes: "All members have given the power to make the final decision to the party head." As if the authority to announce the final word was vested in somebody else prior to the meeting.

Lately, the opposition parties took the first step toward forming a united front against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government when they submitted the motion in the National Assembly by bridging their deep political and ideological divides after holding meetings after meetings – a practice that has become routine for the past few days.

Those who were previously allergic to such meetings spend hours behind closed doors and emerge only after managing to reach the conclusion that the consultation should continue and they should meet again but, perhaps at a different place.

In one such instance on Tuesday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif held meetings with the leadership of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and Balochistan National Party (BNP).

The official statement stated that the delegation of MQM-P led by Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui included Aamir Khan, Wasim Akhtar and Aminul Haq and attended the meeting at the special invitation of PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “The PDM President, PMLN President and leaders agreed to continue consultation and political contact on the pressing issues faced by the socio-political landscape of the country,” it read.

Subsequently, Siddiqui invited Shehbaz and Maulana for a meeting at 5pm on Wednesday as the opposition leaders and MQM agreed to meet at the Parliament Lodges. Similarly, BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal called on Shehbaz along with his delegation. The two leaders discussed the overall situation in the country and issues related to the no-confidence motion, it said, adding both sides consulted in detail on the strategy and coordination of the united opposition over the upcoming no-confidence motion.

From PM Khan and all the parties and newly-formed groups - PPP, PML-N, PML-Q, JUI-F, MQM-P, ANP, BNP, Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan factions - have been meeting on a regular basis but end up deciding to keep the cards close to their chests and let the country go through the political instability for a few more days.

'Allies nudging towards opp'

Political analysts say that the situation has developed in this way because the ruling coalition's partners have allegedly pledged to support the opposition parties against the premier on the no-trust motion and hence the continuous putting off of key announcements until the very last minute.

Allies who in the past didn’t take much time deciding to take sides have kept themselves busy by mulling on the situation over and over again.

However, some observers believe that it was easier for the government’s allies to end the crisis by openly announcing that they would stand by the government or the opposition, as the case may be, come what may. But, they say, such an announcement has a price and, perhaps, that has been discussed for days and might continue until the voting takes place on the motion of no-confidence against the premier.

A few others believe that the role of hidden hand can’t be discarded, especially, after it has been candidly admitted by the lawmakers that they have been receiving “phone calls” from powerful quarters in the past and might end up receiving the same when they finally go for the vote.

In the meanwhile, it appears that the drawn-out season of meetings will continue without promising any conclusion or answers until the fateful day of the no-confidence vote.