Why PPP opted for PML-Q?

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

LAHORE: The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has entered into a dialogue with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) for political understanding or a full fledge political alliance to realise at least three major political objectives which it is aiming to achieve in next six months time, informed PPP sourced confided to Daily Times on Tuesday.

The sources said the major objectives, which the PPP wants to achieve in alliance with the PML-Q, include creating a formidable and reliable political shield to counter threats to parliament from possible infighting between constitutional institutions, change of government in Punjab through concerted efforts with the PML-Q and the forthcoming local bodies elections in Punjab.

The sources said the party’s alliance with the PML-N, which later on reduced to mere a political understanding, had not served the PPP interests as far as the government’s relationship with judiciary is concerned. Though the party didn’t demand much form the PML-N except for adherence to the Charter of Democracy on that count, but the PML-N’s judiciary centric politics pushed the PPP to the point of looking for allies. The PML-Q did not side with the judiciary the way the PML-N did before and during court proceedings on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and the 18th Amendment. The move in hand was possible only after the PPP government was able to heave a sigh of relief following the Supreme Court interim order on the 18th Amendment. Despite, it feels that a strong backing is still required in the months to come. The PPP considered that the PML-Q, though a creation of the GHQ during Pervez Musharraf’s regime, had much political stakes now and had survived as a political force despite numerous odds during and after the Musharraf era. The sources said the PPP considered that the PML-Q could be a stakeholder in prolonging the PPP rule by countering a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, which the PML-N has been hinting quite frequently since the air was filled with abuzz of change in government during the hearing of the NRO and 18th Amendment cases by the Supreme Court.

The second and the most important target that the PPP wants to capture with the help of the PML-Q is the government in the all-important Punjab province. The PPP and the PML-Q jointly had the required number to form a coalition government in the province but the political situation was not so conducive because of Benazir Bhutto’s murder in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 and party’s accusation on Pervaiz Elahi for having hand in glove in the gruesome murder of the PPP chairperson. However, pending investigation in the murder has so far not revealed any involvement of Pervaiz Elahi in it, the PPP find it fit to shake hand with a party with whom it had generation old animosity.

The third major objective, the PPP wants to achieve while being in alliance with the PML-Q is a favorable outcome from local bodies elections going to be held within the first half of the next year.

The PPP considered it an opportunity to outsmart others, particularly the PML-N, in the local bodies election as it had performed well during the two such elections held during Pervez Musharraf’s regime with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi sitting in the office of the chief minister.

The PPP proved to be the second largest political party in the local bodies elections after PML-Q in a system, which General Musharraf enacted to prolong his stay.