Zardari not interested in electoral alliance, say aides

PPP’s information secretary MNA Qamar Zaman Kaira says it's too early for the party to disclose any specific plan.

ISLAMABAD:


Unlike PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, President Zardari seems uninterested in seeking any electoral alliances for the upcoming parliamentary elections.


PPP’s information secretary MNA Qamar Zaman Kaira said it was too early for the party to disclose any specific plan, only revealing “of course we realise that contesting the polls single-handedly won’t be an easy thing.”

However, close aides say the Pakistan People’s Party might look into seat adjustments with other parties.

Sources say that the president is aware that his party might not be able to win a majority in Parliament all by itself. He, however, is still wary of entering into an alliance with any of the parties currently in the ruling coalition. PPP leaders say that the party will look into seat adjustments in various constituencies instead.


One of the senior PPP members said the party, for example, will not compete against MQM in a Karachi constituency. “It is also possible that PPP and MQM will try to eliminate a third party in a particular constituency to fight it out amongst themselves.”

Sources say the reason behind PPP’s limited electoral cooperation with other parties was the emerging regionalism in the country’s politics. They say the decision is made keeping in mind the fact that trends and priorities are different for different areas.

“Ethnic associations, lingual connections and tribal affiliations are new trends driving Pakistan’s politics. There is no concept of a centralised powerbase anymore. So let’s use these realities to our advantage,” an associate quoted Zardari as telling a group of PPP leaders.

According to him, the PPP might go for seat adjustment with the MQM in Karachi, Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa and Pakistan Muslim League-Q in Punjab. But PPP’s cooperation with the ANP in K-P would not mean that they are also partners in other provinces as well, he said.

The source said the PPP could have an adjustment with another party for an NA seat, but could contest against the same party for a provincial constituency.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2012.

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