The central leadership of the PPP is being pressed not to destabilise the PML-N-led Punjab government and the party leadership has been cautioned that this could create an unending political confrontation between the two major parties.
Informed sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the PPP leaders belonging to central Punjab are opposing any move that could deprive the PML-N from the provincial government. They said that the main proponents of the idea of not creating a confrontation between the two major parties are defence minister Ahmad Mukhtar and IT minister Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira. These two leaders are also supported by a large number of other leaders including the Raza Rabbani, leader of house in the Senate.
These leaders are of the view that possible alliance with the PML-Q would not be politically beneficial for the PPP. "This will, actually, hurt the party workers in the province," they said. They argued in different meetings of the party that PPP cannot win over voters in Punjab by doing an unpopular move. The PML-N mandate must be respected in the province.
These leaders also opined that it would not be an easy task to get the required number of MPAs to form the government. Even if that number is achieved, the PPP will have to face the allegations of horse trading. However, the PPP leaders who are very close to governor Punjab Salman Taseer are pressing the party to go for an alliance with the PML-Q. Punjab is the most important federating unit of the federation and the PPP must not shy away from taking power in the province.
Contradictory indications are coming from different quarters of the ruling coalition. The Prime Minister said on Monday that PPP would not disturb the Punjab government. But the PPP parliamentary leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz stated the same day (Monday) that PPP working relationship with Punjab chief had come to end.
The difference of opinion among the PPP ranks is getting stronger and stronger. Leaving the Prime Minister assurances aside, his own advisor Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, is more than active to bring about political confrontation in the province as he has continuously been in contact with the PML-Q leadership. Besides this, the central government has not barred the Punjab governor from indulging in any activity that could lead to toppling PML-N led government.
The PML-Q leader Hamid Nasir Chattha, who is a member of the Punjab assembly, is also the main supporter of the PPP-PML-Q alliance. He expects to become the Punjab chief minister if the PML-Q and the PPP formed an alliance.
PML-N Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra told Business Recorder that the PML-N enjoyed the support of around 220 MPAs in the 371-strong provincial assembly. He said that defection law could not be applied on forward bloc of the PML-Q, who supported the provincial government. He claimed that the defection law could be applied only on individual and not group of MPAs.
He said that the PML-N moved several applications under the defection clause during the previous government. But these applications were not entertained because the government argued at that time that clause is not applicable on group, he added.