THE wheel moves on, as, despite reservations expressed by him earlier, President Dr. Arif Alvi signed the second summary for convening of the maiden session of the newly elected National Assembly, giving required legitimacy to the process of transition at the Centre. His last minute change of heart came in the wake of a notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat which stated that Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has granted approval for the first session of the lower house under Article-91(2) of the Constitution. Anyhow, the members have taken oath and the stage is set for election of the leader of the house, President and installation of a coalition Government to run affairs of the country, apparently, in a give and take manner.
As was widely expected, the parliamentary party of the PML(N) formally endorsed the nomination of the party President Shehbaz Sharif as candidate for the coveted office of the Prime Minister. Shehbaz has a track record of deliverer and that is why Mian Nawaz Sharif termed it as the best choice for the top slot. His election is a foregone conclusion as he has the backing of six parliamentary parties, which have sufficient numbers to get their candidate elected as leader of the house. Hopefully, his election would have a soothing effect on the overall political environment and relationship among national institutions. This impression was strengthened by the remarks he made during the meeting of the parliamentary party, vowing to take all institutions along in tackling challenges facing the country. Another senior leader of the party Prof. Ahsan Iqbal also emphatically stated the party would approach leftover parties as well to seek their cooperation in the parliament and beyond. It is also very much clear that PPP Co-Chairperson and former President Asif Ali Zardari will also have a smooth sailing in the election for the presidency as the coalition government has necessary numbers at the Centre and in the three provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan as well as in the Senate to get its nominee elected as President. Presence of Zardari at the hilltop means an instrumental head of state, potentially contributing his share to nation building. PML (N) is also affirming that its supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif would resume the abandoned position of the party President. He has already been elected as Member of the National Assembly and his focus on party affairs after the election of the incumbent President as the Prime Minister is understandable. He could not become the Prime Minister for the fourth time, prompting some circles to believe that the ‘minus-two’ formula has been implemented but there can be no two opinions that he will continue to have a final say in decision-making – be it in the party, in Punjab or at the federal level. He personally interviewed all candidates for the purpose of issuing party tickets for elections and is also the ultimate authority to pick up names for the federal cabinet. Active participation and involvement of Nawaz Sharif in political affairs and his counselling in running affairs of the state is crucial as he is in a position to offer productive recommendations for improving governance. In his remarks at the parliamentary party meeting, MNS forewarned about looming challenges, saying the next two years in power would be quite challenging for the coalition because of economic and political instability. He, however, expressed the confidence that after two years, the Government will have an ample opportunity to do something for the masses. We may, however, point out that these proverbial ‘two years’ have never ended for people of Pakistan, who were burdened by every successive government on the empty slogan of doing something in later years. The same coalition Government ruled the country for 16 months and has no grace period to deliver as per expectations of the people. Mian Nawaz Sharif has urged the coming Government that its first job should be to tame inflation and improve governance and this should be done in a satisfactory manner. As for the choice of the Speaker, by nominating Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the party has spoken loudly about the importance it gives to the cherished objective of making parliament relevant in resolving national issues and pursuing the legislative agenda.
