FORMER Prime Minister and a senior leader of PML(N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has hinted that a new political party might be formed in the country. Speaking in a programme of a television channel on Monday, he said there was both a need and space for a new political entity in the current scenario.
Of course, there is no bar on the formation of a new political party and it is also a fact that there was a space for this in the given political situation as people have not much expectation from the existing political parties to deliver as per their expectations. PTI ruled the country for nearly four years but despite unlimited cooperation from the Establishment it could not resolve problems of the people or the challenges facing the country. Then a coalition government led by PML(N) was formed, which, no doubt, saved the country from an imminent default but in the process implemented policies that have made the lives of the people miserable. It is, however, a million dollar question whether there was any personality with necessary vision and appeal to take the nation out of the existing mess and lead towards progress and prosperity. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and Mifta Ismail tried their level best to shake up the public opinion from the platform of ‘Re-imaging Pakistan’ but the initiative did not find favour with the masses as all the three remained associated with governments of the past and their performance was known to people of Pakistan. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi rose to the top after disqualification of the then Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif but his honesty and integrity notwithstanding he could not satisfy even people of his traditional constituency, who preferred to vote for PTI’s candidate in 2018 elections. The intentions expressed by Khaqan make it somewhat clear that there are not bright prospects for his stay in the PML(N) and he might make a plunge into the dark.
