IN a strange development, doubts are being raised about the political future of the PML-N stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi whose loyalty to the party and its leadership stood above board throughout his political career.
It is now official that he has resigned as the Senior Vice President of the party but so far retains its basic membership.
Differences of opinion within political parties is nothing new but this assumes dangerous proportions when instead of internal discussions such differences are highlighted through media leading to wild speculations.
In an interview, Abbasi tried to minimize the impact of the development by insisting that the “basic principle” behind the move was that Maryam should be provided with an “open field” as she assumed the new responsibilities as Senior Vice President of PML(N) and the Chief Organizer.
There are two main aspects of the entire episode – lack of consultations within political parties before making important decisions and publicly airing of displeasure by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Such a situation was not expected given the level of confidence that the top leadership of the party had in Abbasi and his unflinching commitment to the cause of the party.
The trust of the party leadership in Shahid Khaqan has also been shaken by his active association with the process of ‘Reimaging Pakistan’, which is being seen as a precursor to possible creation of another political force at the behest of powers that matter.
No one can predict with certainty about the future course of events in the given volatile environment but Shahid Khaqan’s parting of ways with the parent political party would neither benefit him nor the party in the overall context.
Such was the level of trust in Abbasi that the party leadership preferred him for the coveted post of Prime Minister over many other prospective candidates and Abbasi too braced various odds for his loyalty with the party and its top leadership.
Under these circumstances, it would be in the fitness of things if differences are sorted out through discussions and that too without loss of time as both sides would be unable to control damage in case of further delay.
