ISLAMABAD - Disappointed by the continuous wavering of PPP’s leadership on the commitments made with the PML-Q at the time of alliance, the latter has started exploring fruitful ventures with other political parties to control its fast eroding political strength and standing.
Political analysts are according great significance to the seat adjustment agreement reached between PML-Q with Bahawalpur National Awami Party-led Nawab of Bahawalpur Salahuddin Abbasi and termed it a major blow to the PPP-Q electoral alliance in Punjab.
The seat adjustment agreed between the two sides for the three districts in Bahawalpur Division - Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan and Bahawalpur districts - also depicts the shift in the stance of Chaudhrys from Gujrat on new provinces in Punjab, who had overtly extended support to the formation of Bahawalpur province, hence adding to the problems of PPP-led coalition to cash in on their plan on getting the bill of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province passed from Senate where they are comfortable with two-thirds majority.
Now by extending support to the restoration of Bahawalpur’s status as a province and entering into seat adjustment with Nawab of Bahawalpur it would not be possible for the PML-Q leadership to stand with the government on the bill of Bahawalpur Janoobi Punjab province in Senate.
Sources informed TheNation that the PML-Q leadership was not happy with President Asif Ali Zardari who had backed out from most of the promises made with them one by one, pushing the alliance to collapse.
According to some insiders in the PML-Q, initially when the Q-League had boarded the government’s bandwagon, besides doling out a number of ministries and adviser-ships to Q-League MPs, it was further pledged by the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari that both the parties would go hands in hands in next general elections and on all the National Assembly seats held by Q-League PPP would not field candidates while on the seats from where the Q-League candidates were runners up in 2008 general elections PML-Q would be given sizeable share depending on the popularity of their candidates.
It was further decided at that time that in Punjab the PML-Q leadership would have the lead role in the next general elections and PPP would toe its line. But, later, the PPP leadership retracted from all what they had committed with the Q-League leaders at the time when their support was direly needed to save the fragile coalition government from falling apart.
The appointment of Mian Manzoor Wattoo as PPP Punjab Chapter President was listed as the first blow to the alliance between the two and then there was no ending to the breach of the alliance agreement on part of the PPP leadership, a source in PML-Q informed.
The sources further said that now from the home constituency of NA-105 Gujrat to the National Assembly seats in Sailkot and other districts in central Punjab both the parties are having sharp differences and bringing them on one page seemed very difficult if not impossible.
Sources further said that the only force so far binding both these parties together was their animosity against Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and may be this hatred toward their common political foe would at least keep them together on some seats in Punjab if not in whole of the province.