islamabad
Despite almost complete rout in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa Pakistan People’s Party, however, managed its command in its home province Sindh bringing it into a strong position in the power politics.
“Although most of our stalwarts in Punjab are defeated but still we are one of the main players in the parliamentary politics,” said PPPP leaders while talking to The Nation here on Sunday.
Accepting the defeat of the party in general elections, Central Secretary Information of the Party Qamar Zaman Kaira, who had suffered big defeat from his home constituency, congratulated PML-N for its victory and expressed his party’s support to the next government in all positive moves.
The PPP bigwigs like Raja Pervez Ashraf, sons of former premier Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Nazar Mohammad Gondal, Ahmad Mukhtar, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Dr. Firdos Ashiq Awan, Imtiaz Safdar Warriach and Raja Riaz had faced crushing defeat in the elections and the party was reduced to sole National Assembly seat from southern Punjab while their strength on provincial assembly seats in Punjab also fell to about half a dozen.
PPPP leaders said that although they had faced big defeat in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa but the party had even consolidated its position in Sindh and was in a position to form Sindh government single-handedly. And of course they would command the control of Upper House of the Parliament at least till early 2015 the date for retirement of half the members of Senate.
Interestingly with the support of its coalition partners Awami National Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) alone, they could safely retain the slots of Chairman Senate as well as Leader of House in the Upper House.
Political analysts said that Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) though won convincingly in Punjab, both on national and provincial assembly seats, would definitely not be in a position to lock horns with other political players in the Parliament and would fly low till the time of next Senate elections in March 2015.
These sources said that although the party would not need the support of any party in forming governments at centre and the Punjab, but even after their convincing win in Punjab the party leadership have adopted conciliatory tone and hinted at taking all the players on board in steering the country out of prevailing crises.
Sources in the PML-N informed The Nation that despite the offer of JUI-F chief to Mian Nawaz Sharif to join hands with him in forming coalition government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhawa, the latter has not made any promise with him (Moulana) and would let the PTI, which has emerged single largest party in KPK, to form the government and would avoid politics of leg-pulling and horse-trading.
However, in alliance with Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party and other nationalists the PML-N would definitely try to form coalition government in restive Balochistan.