Politics in Punjab is entering a nail-biting situation. The surprising twist of tongue that Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has taken – by categorically saying that he would not go for seeking a vote of confidence, as it is tantamount to ‘legitimising’ the provincial governor’s stance – is no less than earthshaking development. It has put the PTI in the dock, and it is literally unnerved. This change of heart from Elahi, who is at the helm of affairs owing to PTI’s largesse, is a blow to the party’s strategy to call in early elections by dissolving the provincial legislature. Though the chief minister has stopped a step short of rebelling, it has sent down the message that all is not well within the coalition, and the PTI-PMLQ wedlock is on the rocks.
The ruling coalition in Punjab was supposed to seek a vote of confidence before January 11, the date when the Lahore High Court will start hearing a petition challenging the Governor’s dismissal order of the incumbent chief minister. While it seemed to be a harmonious equation as the PTI-PMLQ duo enjoyed a simple majority and were set to sail through, the new narrative has almost torpedoed the trust between them. The PTI is clueless to the core, and has reportedly threatened to resign en bloc from the legislature. Even this will go in Elahi’s favour as it can be deciphered that the restless opposition under the PML-N and the PPP are more than eager to fill in the void, and elect the sitting chief executive as the new boss of the province. This will be a rout for PTI in political terms, as a similar mass resignation from the National Assembly has rendered it floorless to this day.
The somersaults in Punjab hint at a bigger plot in the making. It is evident that forces of inertia are at play, and no centrifugal activity shall be tolerated. The PTI’s obsession to call the shots on the electoral mosaic by throwing in two of its governments is not working to this day. The party must seriously revisit its strategy, and ponder where, why and when it has overrated the spectrum.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2023.
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