PM under assault

Its conceivable that JUI-f chief is seeking revenge from Gilani on the dismissal of Azam Swati from the cabinet.

For once, the guns have been turned on the prime minister, rather than the president (who seems to invite the wrath of political rivals and the media more often than the rather amiable Mr Gilani). Maulana Fazlur Rehman, after quitting the coalition, has accused the prime minister of being the main player in the threatened breakdown of the alliance at the centre. This is in sharp contrast with the more usual portrayal of the prime minister as a peacemaker who has tried to keep parties from parting ways with the PPP — notably in the case of the PML-N. As is abundantly evident from Mr Sharif’s most recent attacks on the government, his efforts did not quite work.

It is not easy to understand what the JUI-F chief has against Mr Gilani. It is conceivable that he seeks revenge for the dismissal from the cabinet of Azam Swati, following Swati’s clash with the former minister of religious affairs. It was this move which prompted a JUI-F exit from the government. But it is also possible that the Maulana wishes to exert pressure to seek other favours as part of a deal to return to treasury benches. As things stand, the PPP faces growing pressure following the MQM pull-out from the cabinet. In Islamabad, there are whispers of a plot brewing against Mr Gilani, with the JUI-F playing a role in the developing drama.

The soap opera which constitutes Pakistan’s politics continues; many watch mesmerised. The events highlight the difficulties of running coalition governments made up of so many different players with different interests, ideologies and agendas. What is unfortunate is that while such wars of words rage on and personal differences mingle with the political, the basic needs of people are neglected. While the JUI-F — and other parties — talk of serving the masses, they conveniently ignore the fact that their actions make this difficult. At present, we have an increasingly complex political situation, the question of the coalition’s future is uppermost in minds and, as a result, there is even less likelihood than before of people receiving the kind of governance they desperately need. Politicians engaged in ceaseless wrangling should consider this too.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2010.