PTI to distance itself from PAT, PML-Q alliance

PTI seeks an Opposition alliance with PPP, to ensure election reforms through the Parliament.

ISLAMABAD: Following comments from Dr Tahirul Qadri who insisted on carrying on his 'revolution' regardless, the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to keep its distance from Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) and its grand-alliance partner Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam (PML-Q) for its campaign against electoral rigging. Instead, the Imran Khan-led party is seeking to ally itself with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and find a solution to their demands within the political ambit.

As per a new policy, PTI will stress on its agenda against riggings and the restructuring of the election commission while staying in the assemblies.

PTI has also decided to ally itself with main Opposition party, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and form a strong opposition bloc in the assembly. Leaders of both the parties have agreed to make joint efforts for reforms inside and outside the parliament.

Senior PTI leaders told The Express Tribune that despite these shifts in the PTI policy, the government has conveyed that it would not allow PTI to hold rally on August 14. In case the plan is not postponed, the government is prepared to exercise various measures, including house arrest of senior PTI leadership.

Lobbying for grand-alliance continues

At least two senior party leaders are believed to be lobbying the PTI to join the alliance with PAT and Q-League. However, party chief Imran Khan has rejected the proposal.

“I have no match with Qadri if we go in alliance he would not able to stand with me at stage rather he would prefer container.”

An alliance with the Chaudhries of Gujrat is another option not to the liking of the PTI leader.

A senior party leader informed that the PML-Q also wanted the PTI to resign from the assemblies since the absence of the third largest party by seats in the parliament would cause a major dent.

The PML-Q leadership has reportedly offered to follow PTI’s suit and resign from the National Assembly, Senate and Punjab Assembly to make the move more meaningful against Sharif brothers on the national and provincial fronts.

PTI understands that if the party separated itself from the present political dispensation, it would be difficult for it to introduce reforms while sitting outside the assemblies.

By and large, however, the PTI seems to have relinquished the idea of resigning from the National and provincial assemblies.

The last core committee meeting of the party held in Islamabad had debated the option of resignations by its MNAs and MPAs to be submitted to the speakers of concerned assemblies in a move to pressure the government to open election results of four NA constituencies for verification.

"It was not a principal decision of the party but only an option that was discussed among the senior leadership of the party," PTI leaders explained.

PTI’s Chief Minister in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak said, “I can assure you that no one will tender resignation from K-P assembly.”

Speaker KP Assad Qaiser too backed the chief executive of his province. MNA Assad Umar of PTI had to reassure K-P speaker that he would complete his tenure.

Senior PTI leaders explained that there were three key factors or political stakes among others that had played a key role in changing the party's mind over resignations.

They said that the government had given more representation to the PTI with three of its MNAs included in the electoral reforms committee with regard to the proportion of its representation in the National Assembly.

Further, the government, on the demand of PTI, also changed the text of the resolution that was passed from the Lower House of the Parliament for the formation of an electoral reforms committee and it has inserted in the resolution that the committee would look into the matters of previous election results.

"So we want that at least electoral reforms should be passed from the parliament through the present democratic set-up," he said adding that as long as PTI will remain in the NA assembly, it would be in a good position, because of having an effective strength there to bargain with the government on key matters, including electoral reforms.

The second political stake of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is its provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A number of PTI MPAs from K-P were not fully onboard with the decision of senior party leadership to resign from assemblies. They wanted to keep a hold of power in the province and continue to effect the reforms initiated in the province. Completed reforms agenda would be a powerful slogan in the next elections, a leader said.