PTI mixed signals fuel alliance confusion

Conflicting views emerge over JUI-F seat adjustment

LAHORE:

Contradictory statements by senior PTI figures over a possible seat adjustment with JUI-F, as well as the party's position on the creation of smaller provinces, have raised questions about whether the party has a clearly defined position on key issues being discussed as part of its emerging opposition alliance.

The confusion intensified after K-P Information Minister Shafi Jan appeared to suggest that seat adjustment with the JUI-F was on the table, while PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan later spoke of a joint strategy with the religious party.

At the same time, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had already opposed the creation of smaller provinces under the present circumstances, adding to questions about differing positions within the PTI.

Following a preliminary understanding on an alliance with the JUI-F, K-P Jan, while discussing the possibility of a written agreement with the JUI-F during a television programme, was asked about seat adjustment.

He responded: "Absolutely, everything was on the table, even what you (the anchor) are hinting at; it was part of the negotiation and will be in a written decision as well."

The clip was widely circulated within PTI circles.

According to a PTI leader, Asad Qaiser was subsequently asked about the contours of a possible arrangement with the JUI-F in light of Jan's remarks. The leader said Qaiser not only denied any possibility of a seat-adjustment arrangement but also said he would advise Shafi Jan to exercise greater caution while responding to such questions in the future.

Another party leader said Fazl had never discussed any possibility of seat adjustment with the PTI, even during informal conversations.

He said Jan's statement had been discussed at length ahead of the joint parliamentary meeting of opposition parties, with many participants regretting that he had spoken publicly without taking the facts into consideration.

Interestingly, the JUI-F has also strongly denied seeking any seat adjustment from the PTI.

JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghori said the party had neither sought any seats from the PTI nor was seat adjustment part of any decision. He said the JUI-F had sought assurances from the PTI to clear certain doubts, but seat adjustment was not among them.

"Our alliance is limited to Parliament, not outside," he said.

Asked about the PTI's call for a rally on September 27, Ghori said the JUI-F had not been invited by the PTI to participate in the rally at any stage.

Questions over smaller provinces

The PTI leader said party members also wanted to ask Barrister Gohar about his position on the issue of smaller provinces.

The issue assumed significance after Gohar, during a joint press conference, spoke of opposition parties adopting a unified position inside and outside the assemblies on key issues. His remarks came after an address by the JUI-F chief, who had said that, given the existing circumstances, the creation of new provinces would deepen public distrust - effectively opposing the proposal at this stage.

The leader said Barrister Gohar himself had publicly described smaller provinces as a necessity during the initial days of the debate. Why he did not clarify his position during the joint press conference, he said, remained a question mark.

He added that he had recently heard another senior PTI leader support the idea of smaller provinces during a television programme, leading him to believe that the party had not yet formally deliberated on the issue.

PTI office-bearer Akhundzada Hussain, who is also the spokesperson for TTAP, however, clarified that Barrister Gohar had categorically endorsed Fazl's position.

He said neither the PTI nor TTAP accepted the legitimacy of the existing Parliament and therefore believed that it was beyond the mandate of the current Parliament to undertake such critical legislation.

He said the PTI's position on smaller provinces remained unchanged, but since the party did not recognise the legitimacy of the system, it could neither endorse nor support key legislation passed by it.

Meanwhile, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas also denied any possibility of seat adjustment with the JUI-F, saying that, to the best of his knowledge, the matter was not even under consideration.