PTI-Minhaj alliance?

PTI is on this path because realises its popularity levels have fallen and Qadri wants to continue hogging limelight.

When Dr Tahirul Qadri was holding Islamabad hostage to his demand for a prolonged period of caretaker rule, Imran Khan, despite agreeing with most of Dr Qadri’s agenda, wisely kept his party at a distance from the street protests. That distance is narrowing with every passing day. Senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) met with Dr Qadri on February 6 and held a joint press conference where the two essentially formed an alliance, although they stopped short of calling it that. Both Dr Qadri and the PTI want the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to be dissolved by the Supreme Court and for new members to be appointed. We already know that Dr Qadri wants a caretaker government to be formed with the input of the military and the judiciary, which is not in line with the guidelines laid down by the Constitution. Now, Imran Khan has joined him.

The details of how the ECP is to be constituted are very clearly laid down in the Constitution. The government, in consultation with the leader of the opposition, appoints the members of the ECP. This way, all the people’s representatives get their say and have a chance to approve the ECP. Dr Qadri is not a part of the process since he is not in parliament. Indeed, as someone who has Canadian citizenship, he is not even eligible to stand for parliamentary elections. Imran Khan, who decided to boycott the 2008 elections, does not have a role to play in choosing members of the ECP either. He cannot simply nullify the process because he does not like the results. To change the composition of the ECP at the whims of unelected politicians like Imran Khan and the likes of Dr Qadri would have a chilling effect on the holding of free elections rather than allowing the estimable Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to continue.



The PTI is likely going down this dangerous path because it realises that its popularity levels have fallen in recent months, with many defections from the party and a precipitous drop in enthusiasm. Dr Qadri, meanwhile, just wants to continue hogging the limelight. Likely, the Supreme Court will not interfere with the workings of the ECP. To do so, would strike a great blow against the democratic process that could well harm the holding of free elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2013.