PESHAWAR: As the tenure of the current political setup inches towards its end, there is much politicking in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with parties discussing electoral adjustments and lobbying to induct electable politicians.
It is the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) which seems to be on resurgent track after a long time.
Since October, when Anwar Saifullah Khan replaced Senator Sardar Ali Khan as the party’s provincial president, the traditionally squabbling outfit has come alive again.
Soon after assuming charge, Khan initiated the trend of convening provincial cabinet meetings twice a month, besides appointing new members to the cabinet which is now a mix of workers and ministers.
He then turned his attention towards districts and divisions as he moved to fill all vacant seats across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Stepping up the ante, PPP has started inducting prominent politicians to its ranks. It first wooed estranged MPA Shazia Aurangzeb who quit the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to join PPP.
Former finance minister Iftikhar Khan Mohmand, previously estranged PPP leader Iftikhar Jhagra and Pakistan Muslim League –Quaid lawmaker Nighat Orakzai joined the party this week.
Another bold step taken by Khan has been his decision to take on the Awami National Party (ANP), which is presently an ally of the ruling party in the provincial government. Playing second fiddle to ANP has been one of the bones of contention among PPP workers. And Saifullah seems adamant to remove the perception.
Last week, ANP issued a statement that it was hopeful of an alliance with Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F). The latter, however, ruled out the possibility, saying it will prefer religious parties for any kind of electoral adjustment.
JUI-F, which also has a powerful base in K-P, is being cautious on its part. It was not only quick to deny ANP’s assertion of a possible alliance, it said after its provincial general council meeting last Sunday that any decision regarding the upcoming elections will be taken from the Muttahida Majlis Amal (MMA) platform. In reality, this means a wait-and-see policy.
JUI-F seems to be closely watching the moves of its rival Jamaat-e-Islam (JI), which earlier floated the idea of forming its own electoral alliance of religious forces to counter the MMA. However, JI leaders have remained tight lipped about the development.
JUI-F is likely to show its cards once JI takes a decision on whether it will form an alliance or cut an adjustment deal with another party like Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has been engaged in a battle of words with JUI-F since the past few months.
PML-N is still divided over the induction of Amir Muqam which led to the departure of Shazia Auragzeb from the party last week. However, the party has managed to woo Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti from Mardan who resigned from PTI some months earlier.
It is, however, not immediately clear what the rivalry between Amir Muqam and Pir Sabir Shah’s groups will mean for PML-N.
The one party which is on the verge in K-P is PML-Q. It has lost majority of its leaders such as Amir Muqam to PML-N, and seems to be in dire straits with the departure of the outspoken Orakzai.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2012.
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