Seat adjustment between PPP, PML-N ‘a likely possibility’

PPP spokesperson says any alliance with political players depends on election results

LAHORE:

Seat adjustment with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was a likely possibility, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi said on Wednesday, as the top-most leaders of the two major political parties met in Dubai.

Kundi, also the minister of state for poverty alleviation, told The Express Tribune that the shape of any future alliance with the PML-N or other political players depended purely on the outcome of the coming general elections.

Dubai had taken the centre stage in the Pakistani politics after heads of both the leading parties in the coalition government converged on the cosmopolitan oasis just ahead of Eidul Azha, which is being celebrated on Thursday (today) in Pakistan.

They include PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, who flew in to Dubai from London, his daughter and Senior Vice President of PML-N Maryam Nawaz, besides PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his father PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari.

The presence of the ruling coalition bigwigs in Dubai has sent rumour mills into overdrive. According to a political leader, who is familiar with the developments, two meetings had taken place between the PML-N and the PPP leadership.

“Both meetings were attended by all the four leaders,” he said. In these meetings, he added, a wide range of the issues surrounding the next set-up, elections and other challenges confronting Pakistan were discussed.

Many politicians and political experts speculate that the Dubai meetings were aimed at forging an electoral alliance. However, some others suggest that the rendezvous was to decide how to limit the role of establishment in politics.

Kundi, the PPP spokesperson, said that Zardari had returned to Karachi from Dubai and he would be leaving for Nawabshah for Eid, whereas Bilawal might stay in Dubai for some time and leave for the US and Japan tour from there.
On the Dubai talks, he said that there was no official engagement between the two party leaderships, though the meetings were held unofficially, but these were nothing out of the ordinary.

He said Zardari’s frequent visits to Dubai were meant for his eye treatment. As these were not party-to-party contacts, he added, he was not aware of the discussion that had taken place or any subsequent decision.

When asked about the talk of seat adjustment between the two parties, he said that it could be a possibility, but “that too is subjected to the decision” of the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC). “Let elections take place and see polls position,” he added.

Kundi believed that any future alliance between the two parties cannot be predicted at this stage.

The source also seconded the view that an election alliance was out of the question at this stage, though the option of seat adjustment was being mulled over.

“There is this issue about when the elections should take place, that needs to be decided by them,” the source said, adding that the PPP firmly held the view that elections should either be held in October or in November, as per guidelines of the Constitution.

However, the opinion in the PML-N appeared to be divided. One section wanted elections delayed to at least until February. Asked if the PML-N was waiting for a new chief justice, the source said, that their expectations were “unrealistically high”.

About the caretaker set-up, which would take over after the dissolution of the National Assembly, the sources said that it had been decided that the PPP would propose one candidate for the post of caretaker prime minister.

Nawaz arrived in Dubai on Saturday, where he was joined by Maryam on June 25. In the wee hours of Sunday, Bilawal also travelled to Dubai followed by the arrival of Zardari. Nawaz is also scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.