PPP, PTI in hurry to create trouble for PM

ISLAMABAD: A couple of opposition parties have braced up to simultaneously make the streets, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), parliament and courts hot for the Nawaz Sharif government, hammering the question of investigation into the offshore companies.

They are working individually and collectively to open a number of fronts to complement each other to create an impression that the government has been badly cornered.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is in the forefront in this struggle and is being closely followed and assisted by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Both are apparently in a hurry to heap up troubles for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

However, they are yet to seal and settle all the details of their combined strategy, if any, to make the premier pass sleepless nights. Thus far, it is not clear whether or not they want to work out an absolute cooperation in the anti-government campaign. But similar indications have been publicly given by the PTI chairman and PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan that Imran Khan and Bilawal may be soon present on the same shipping container or on two containers, standing close to each other, to protest against the government.

Although they have the common objective to achieve, they have sponsored separate references in the ECP, seeking disqualification of the premier and other prominent personalities. In the two parliamentary chambers, the PPP and PTI are cooperating but their collaboration is still not unqualified and unreserved.

PPP chief and former President Asif Ali Zardari, who is the real decision maker of his party, is yet to utter a word on the newfound love of some of its leaders for the PTI, which had lambasted him and the PPP for a long time in a consistent campaign. However, there is no doubt anywhere that Zardari fully supports the policy adopted by Bilawal, trying to give a public impression that the young man has a free hand to run the party the way he likes.

A key question that often comes to many minds is that whether through its protest PTI will disrupt the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) it rules, and whether the PPP would do anything that would create chaos in Sindh that it has under its belt. The answer is obvious: the PTI will not sponsor any protest as part of its agitation in Sindh not to annoy the PPP; and similarly, the PPP will not create a scene in KP.

Only Punjab is left for them to protest and it has been a favourite place for them for this purpose for obvious political reasons. The PTI and PPP feel that the protest will produce dividends for them. They are quite weak in Punjab, which is amply reflected in the results of successive by-elections. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has domination over every political party in this province.

It is yet to be decided how far the level of cooperation between the PTI and PPP in street agitation will be. Like before, the PTI indeed wants to use its energies and resources in the anti-government campaign that it loves to prolong in order to spawn a situation where running of the government doesn’t remain possible. Will the PPP like to generate such a scenario?

However, other opposition parties including Jamaat-e-Islami, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), PML-Q and Awami National Party (ANP), which have their representatives, accompanying the nominees of the PPP and PTI, in the parliamentary committee on Terms of Reference (ToRs), do not approve the policy of the duo that is more interested in street protest.

While the PPP has announced to abandon this panel and the PTI has never been keen for discussions in this forum, the other opposition parties are offended by the stands taken by the PPP and PTI.

ANP leader Zahid Khan says there can be no combined opposition when its two components - the PPP and PTI - take their decisions and make them public without talking to others. “The street protest will not help achieve the actual objective – accountability - behind formation of the parliamentary committee.”

The references of the PPP and PTI, seeking disqualification of the prime minister and other members of his family, will be bunched together by the ECP, when it will take them up after its four members would be nominated, taking care of its legal flaw.

Whether the pleas of the PTI and PPP will be accepted or turned down by the ECP, the matter will ultimately land at the Supreme Court because the aggrieved party will appeal against its decision.

As far as the government is concerned, it will not be much worried in the fights with the PPP and PTI on the judicial and parliamentary fronts. However, it will be worried due to any great street unrest and anarchy.

-Originally appeared in The News