Opposition parties weighing grand anti-PPP alliance

Islamabad—The victory of Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of the former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and a candidate of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the recent by-election of the NA-151, Multan, has raised concerns in the ranks and files of all the opposition parties compelling them to reassess their political strategies.

An independent candidate Shaukat Hayat Bosan who despite enjoying support of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) could not upset the Gilanis’ apple cart and went down fighting with 60,764 votes against Qadir GIlani’s 64,340 votes.

Though it was a neck-on-neck contest, yet PPP termed it a major victory and reflection of people’s trust in its policies and claimed the results in the upcoming elections would not be very different and it (PPP) would emerge as the single largest party in the National Assembly.

The victory encouraged President Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairperson of the PPP to issue a statement that in the upcoming 2013 elections, PPP would contest polls after making seat adjustments with its allies in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balcohistan and thus the coalition would sweep the elections. On the other hand, the fall of Shaukat Bosan has served a timely warning to all the parties which are considered right wing or anti-PPP.

The PPP candidate’s victory in the by-election has also led to people’s apprehensions that once again PPP would come into power in the next elections. There is a general feeling now that as long as the opposition parties stand divided PPP would keep returning to power.

According to reliable diplomatic sources, ambassadors of a number of Muslim countries which are considered Pakistan’s close friends have also expressed their concerns over the differences among the major opposition parties.

In a private meeting held the other day at the residence of a retired ambassador here in Islamabad, an ambassador of a close friendly country even offered his assistance to resolving these differences among these parties especially between the PTI and PML-N.

A PML-N leader while talking to Pakistan Observer Sunday said Mian Nawaz Sharif and some of his close aides want a joint platform for all the opposition parties but “hawks” in the party are averse to forging any such alliance.

Prior to July 19 by-election of Multan, PTI’s senior leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who also belongs to the city had tried to convince Imran Khan, his party’s leader and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi to join hands with PML-N and field a common candidate against the PPP but both the leaders turned down his suggestion saying people wanted a change in the country and entering into alliance with PML-N would send the masses a negative message. However, the defeat of their “silently supported” candidate has once again highlighted the need of forging a grand alliance of all the parties which are considered rightist or anti-PPP. According to the insiders, both the parties are keenly reviewing their strategy.

“Most probably, by the end of next month (after Eid), you will have some news of a grand electoral alliance as was forged in the 1990 elections,” said a senior office-bearer of the PML-N. To a question, he did not rule out the possibility of taking PML-Q into the party folds saying the party leadership would first ask the PML-Q leaders to tender an unconditional apology to the nation for doing harm to the cause of the party and democracy in the country. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, revival of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is a matter of days as Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have in principle agreed to revive the MMA.

According to sources, Jamaat-e-Islami is playing an active role in this regard and has even offered its counterpart to finalize seat adjustments in the province for the upcoming elections but the JUI-F for the time being is interested only in the re-emergence of the MMA.