Abdul Hadi Mayar Islamabad
Pakistan People’s Party on Friday called for opening of a dialogue between the government and the opposition parties. The call was made by former Prime Minister and a central leader of the party, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, while speaking in the National Assembly.
“We need to keep our house in order. (On the contrary) We are fighting against each other,” he said, urging the government to ‘speak against the arrest of and releasing, if any one (from opposition) is arrested.
This is for the first time after the perceived melting of snow between Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and the army in recent days that PPP, a coalition partner of the government, has tried to show its cards in the political power play.
Though an ally of Muslim League-N, Pakistan People’s Party has avoided to become its active coalition partner after formation of Shahbaz Sharif government, despite managing to secure much of constitutional and functional posts. After the federal budget, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the party, lamented that his party was not taken into confidence with regard to the budget. Later, he reconciled when important positions were given to his party in Punjab. After the PTI Chief Imran Khan extended an offer of talks to the army last week, there were speculations in the digital media that PPP might, under the influence of the powers that be, join forces with Khan if there was an option of in-house change in the event of a regime change, a key demand of PTI for the talks.
The PTI drive has visibly unnerved the government as it announced to hold consultations with its political allies to discuss the situation. Tehrik-e-Insaf responded in kind when it announced yesterday that it will form a new political alliance in next 15 days.
Federal Minister for Petroleum Musaddiq Malik, while responding to PTI leader’s gestures to mend fences with the army, repeated his party’s offer for talks with Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf last week.
However, Tehrik-e-Insaf says the government is powerless for any talks. Speaking soon after Pervaiz Ashraf, PashtunKhwaMilliAwami Party chief Mahmood Khan, whom Imran Khan has chosen as his nominee for talks with the army, urged the need for running the country according to the constitution.
“All internal and external policies of the country must be operated by the elected government,” Achakzai said, his tone denoting what the PTI Founder requires out of his talks with the army.
