The PPP supremo, known for his political acumen, is holding meetings with the smaller allied parties and contacting others over the telephone to make sure they stay with the government. There have been attempts by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf to pluck smaller parties from the ruling coalition to oust them in the same way in which the PTI was removed from power.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) and the Balochistan Awami Party have so far not given any positive signal to the PTI but things change in moments in the Pakistani politics.
Under these circumstances, Zardari’s role has become very important for the PML (Nawaz)-led coalition. Zardari, a former President, is a strong supporter of elections on schedule rather than going early for the polls as desired by the PTI after losing power.
He has many times made it clear that elections in the country “will only be held after poll reforms are introduced and the National Accountability Laws are amended.”
Zardari played a key role in the vote of no-confidence motion moved by several parties against former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He believes elections should be held once the incumbent coalition government completes both tasks.
“I have also talked to Nawaz Sharif (PML-N supremo) on this and we agreed that we can go to polls as soon as the reforms and targets are met. We have to change laws and improve them and then go to elections. Whether it takes three or four months, we have to work on implementation of policies and improving the electoral process,” he said at a recent media interaction.
He also said the coalition government headed by Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif had no issue with voting rights and representation of overseas Pakistanis in elections.
Shehbaz Sharif wants govt to complete remaining constitutional tenure till August next year
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also wants the government to complete the remaining constitutional tenure till August next year. However, he has been under pressure due to the economic situation as the US dollar is at a historic high against the Pakistani Rupee, giving rise to inflation. In addition, the fuel prices have risen to highest ever levels due to the conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund to withdraw subsidies.
The cash-starved country is in dire need of foreign assistance due to depleting forex reserves and growing repayments and import financing requirements. The situation is ripe for Khan to demand snap elections. The cricketer-turned-politician was voted out of power on April 10 through a no-confidence motion, becoming the first Pakistan prime minister to be ousted unceremoniously by parliament.
The coalition government’s decision to complete the term until August 2023 was made during a recent meeting of the coalition partners chaired by Prime Minister Sharif.
The allies of PML-N assured Sharif that they were with the party and would stand with them on every decision. They also advised the PM to take immediate measures to stabilise the economy.
Zardari held meeting with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain this week and got reassurance of the PML-Q’s support for the coalition government.
He has also been in contact with the MQM and the BAP to keep the coalition government running smoothly.
Zardari also hosted a dinner for all political parties of the coalition government at Zardari House Islamabad last week.
The banquet was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Fazlur Rehman, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Shahzain Bugti, Khalid Magsi, Mohammad Aslam Bhutani, Agha Hassan Baloch, Aimal Wali Khan, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Faisal Sabzwari, Khursheed Shah, Maulana Ghafoor Haideri, Israr Tareen, Malik Ahmed Khan, Marriyum Aurangzeb and others.
Prior to the dinner, the top leaders of the coalition parties exchanged views on the political situation of the country. The heads of the political parties expressed confidence in PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Zardari is also making sure coalition partners remain in regular contact and resolve any misunderstanding before it gets worse.
PM Shehbaz Sharif will need a lot of these efforts from Zardari if the elections are to be held on schedule after August 2023. In the meanwhile, PM Sharif will try to improve the economic condition of the country to prepare for the general elections.