Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has made comprehensive strategies to benefit from the decline in the popularity of Nawaz Sharif and efforts are being made to create further dent in the popularity of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in Punjab. The PPP leadership has also decided to retaliate aggressively on PML-N for hostile attitude of Chaudhry Nisar Ali, the PML-N opposition leader in the National Assembly.
The PPP circles strongly believe that Chaudhry Nisar Ali was giving tough time to the PPP on the direction of his party leadership, which is being denied by the PML-N top leadership in mutual meetings of the coalition. The PPP leadership is not happy with the PML-N on its stance towards the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and its hidden plans of mid-term polls after the annulment of 17th amendment in the Parliament.
The PPP sources said the party leadership has assigned the task of aggressive opposition of the PML-N in the Punjab in order to ensure maximum benefit out of the latest survey, conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI), a pro-democracy group financed by the US government.
The survey has found that President Asif Ali Zardari's approval rating had increased from 19 percent in March to 25 percent in August. However, Nawaz Sharif's approval ratings had declined from 75 percent to 67 percent during the same period. According to the PPP sources, the disclosures made by the Brigadier Imtiaz Billa (Retd) has damaged the popularity of Nawaz Sharif heavily, coupled with the reiteration of the corruption allegations against him under the banner of the IJI has damaged the popularity of Nawaz Sharif.
These sources added that the politicians have also started exchanging the views that Nawaz is also corrupt like other politicians, which has brought his popularity level down. Further, they said, a delay in return of Nawaz Sharif from abroad after the reports that the Saudi government has instructed to stay away from active politics until December 2010.
The PPP sources have further pointed out that the PPP leadership was not happy with the hostile attitude of Chaudhry Nisar Ali and it has conveyed its reservations to the PML-N leadership repeatedly. However, the PML-N leadership has owned Chaudhry Nisar Ali's statements half-heartedly while taking the position that Chaudhry Nisar Ali was aggressive towards the PPP on his own and it has nothing to do with the party policy.
The PPP circles said it is generally believed that Chaudhry Nisar Ali was toeing the party line and a dilly-dallying attitude of PML-N leadership towards the complaints has compelled the PPP to come up aggressively against it from now onwards. The PPP leadership is becoming serious on taking up the issues of NRO and 17th amendment and decide it once and for all.
It is learnt that the PPP leadership is of the view that it enjoys comfortable majority in the Parliament to get it approved, but it is not ready to face a debate on the issue, as it would open pandora's box. Sources said the PPP leadership was not happy with aggressive attitude of the PML-N on the issue and wanted to retaliate accordingly in order to settle the score on political front.
Regarding the 17th amendment, said the PPP sources, the PML-N was trying to make efforts for mid-term polls once it is annulled by the Parliament. They said a secret meeting of the PML-N leadership with army chief is also being smelled in the same context. Further, they said the issue of extension in the stay of army chief in uniform after December 2010 is also likely to be emerged sooner than later and the PML-N was trying to play with the situation. They said the PPP would never let the PML-N to topple the PPP government within a short span of one-and-a-half year and therefore it has decided to show its muscles now.
On Kerry-Lugar bill, the PPP sources said the PPP could easily get it through the Parliament without support from the PML-N in case remaining political parties are in line with the PPP on the issue. According to them, the PPP leadership has started meeting the political demands of the coalition partners, other than the PML-N, in order to ensure required strength in the House in case the bill is tabled and debated to get approved.
The PPP sources also pointed out that the PPP top leadership has also held a few meetings with the top leadership of the PML-Q simply to deter the PML-N leadership ahead. This comprehensive strategy, they said would help the PPP in not only deepening the dent in PML-N's public credibility but also to gain out of the situation with the support of its innovative schemes like Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
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