‘Good cop, bad cop’ strategy for PPP?

A PPP leader on Saturday maintained that both the father and son – Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari – actually had a difference of opinion regarding the handling of party affairs, especially with reference to the establishment.

“It is not a ‘good cop, bad cop’ strategy as being perceived by the media,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

The contradictory positions regarding the upcoming polls and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) adopted by Bilawal and his father have brought to the fore the apparent rift within the Zardari House, which was seen as a good cop, bad cop stance.

The approach was previously employed by the Sharif family wherein PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s camp during days of hardship towed anti-establishment policy whereas his brother Shehbaz Sharif was a proud proponent of a reconciliatory policy.

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Several leaders from Punjab and one from Sindh that The Express Tribune talked to strongly denied the impression, claiming that this difference in style of politics existed within the party.

A lesser known fact is the “ECP’s discriminatory position towards Sindh”.

Earlier, while talking to The Express Tribune, Faisal Kareem Kundi, had denied any impression of this discrimination on part of the ECP while his own party chairman reportedly, during an interaction with the media in Malir, Karachi had censured the polls supervisory body, saying that it had a “biased approach” towards Sindh.

The PPP chairman on the occasion said that development funds for flood-hit areas in Sindh were seized and lamented that the policy on transfers and postings as adopted in other provinces was not taken up in Sindh.

Another PPP leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Bilawal was the “ultimate authority” within the party, as it was widely known that Zardari did not interfere in party matters until a dire situation occurred.

He said the situation was embarrassing for the party that both (Zardari and Bilawal) in terms of their stated positions were at loggerheads regarding the elections.

He noted that Bilawal was a “bit impulsive” owing to which the party had “veered into turbulent waters”, adding that “even in this case if he (Bilawal) had shown restraint it would not have become an issue”.

The PPP leader said Zardari was known for advocating policy of reconciliation due to which he never endorsed his son’s “style of aggressive politics”.

Also read PPP signals flexibility on election date

“Bilawal has brought the PPP up against the mighty establishment, and there is an urgent need to reduce this gulf between them and powers that be as without the establishment, no party in the country can survive,” he said.

The PPP leader observed that Zardari would not undermine his son’s authority in the party when it came to decision-making.

He said given the fact that Zardari’s position was only announced through a statement, “there is a lot of room available to spin it around”.

He said though Bilawal’s mass contact drive would prove to be advantageous, they were the only ones to enter the political arena formally. “The actual struggle is to secure Sindh,” he said.

Acting PPP President Rana Farooq mentioned that Bilawal represented Pakistan Peoples Party while Zardari represented the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), noting that it was the party that contested elections and had to be more accommodative and less aggressive.

When asked if both parties were actually different, he replied in negative.

Questioned why both the father and son had adopted contradictory positions, the PPP leader, on a lighter note, said: “Bilawal is a young man and has a different way of approaching certain issues.”

PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said both the father and son were talking about the same issues.

He rejected the impression of the PPP having any difference with the establishment, saying: “This is all conjecturing.”

On Bilawal’s remarks about the “ECP’s discrimination in Sindh”, Kaira said he was not aware about the party chairman’s statement, emphasising that if any such situation existed, the election supervisor needed to ensure that everything was done as per the law.