Political landscape: Indecision mars parties a week after inconclusive vote

A week after the electoral showdown, the political battleground on Friday seemed anything but settled with major political players caught in second-guessing, leaving the formation of a central government hanging in the balance.

PML-N, initially eying a coalition federal government alongside the PPP and the MQM-P, appeared to be indecisive while the PTI, lacking the numerical muscle for a government takeover, hinted at finding comfort on the opposition benches.

Meanwhile, the PML-N reconsidered its plans on Friday, mulled over the consequences of making a coalition federal government and limited itself to Punjab.

In a meeting at Jati Umra, which was chaired by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the party leadership advised that the PML-N shouldn’t take the federal government and focus only on Punjab where it can easily form the government. They also said that the party shouldn’t accept unreasonable demands of any political party for the sake of forming government in the Centre.

The party leaders also said that the only purpose of forming a federal government was to save the country and the state from sliding further into political and economic crises.

Nevertheless, certain members raised concerns about the feasibility of the country's governance in the absence of any party taking the initiative to lead at the national level. They argued that the PML-N should not withdraw from consideration if no other party is capable of forming a federal government.

A tweet stating that Nawaz chaired the meeting called to contemplate if the PML-N should form government in the Center and Punjab has already taken some crucial decisions. The tweet, which was retweeted by PML-N-nominated chief minister in Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, added that the committee earlier formed to reach out to the PPP and other parties gave a briefing to Nawaz and some more important decisions were expected soon.

The decisions can be expected after a scheduled meeting between the PML-N and the PPP’s committees on Saturday evening. The committees, earlier constituted to finalise conditions on which both the parties would move ahead, had to meet on Friday but due to the PML-N meeting, it was postponed till Saturday.

The committees were formed after PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced that his party would vote for the PML-N’s candidate for the Prime Minister’s slot but wouldn’t become a part of the federal government.

Bilawal, however, had unequivocally conveyed that the officer of Presidency should be given to his father and PPP president, Asif Ali Zardari.

In the two rounds that have already been held between the two sides, the PPPP has stuck to the party line so far as it hasn’t asked for any portfolios but demanded key constitutional offices like the presidency, chairman senate and speaker of National Assembly’s positions. The PPP committee has already briefed Bilawal about the multilateral contact among political parties.

Some other factors contributing to political uncertainty include JUI-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman decision not to support the PML-N and even asking it to sit on the opposition benches. The thaw in the JUI-F and the PTI relations after a PTI delegation approached Maulana to seek support for the protest against the alleged rigging has also forced parties to reconsider their strategies.

In November 2019, PML-Q’s President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain warned that no one would want to become the prime minister of the country after three months due to rampant inflation and unemployment. Given the current situation, it seems his prophecy has come true.

Before polls, it was envisaged that elections would lead to political stability but the split mandate has created a situation where political parties are still navigating the unchartered waters and busy in wheeling & dealing. Political observers believe that uncertainty seems to be the only certainty at the moment.

Nevertheless, the PTI, while dialling up its allegations of rigging and deciding to hit the streets, made it clear that it won’t be pulling a disappearing act from parliament.

It asserted that it would not abandon the parliament by replicating its en masse resignations after the ex-premier Imran Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022.

PTI officials told The Express Tribune that even if their candidate, Omar Ayub, fails to clinch the parliamentary vote for the premier's slot, the party is here to stay in the parliamentary arena.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif announced that following the instructions of PTI founder Imran Khan the party has decided to sit in opposition both at the Centre and in the province of Punjab.

When approached, PTI information secretary Raoof Hasan said that PTI will not abandon parliament, adding that a formal statement will be issued in this regard on Saturday (today).