PTI, QWP poised to become allies after remaining foes for 19 months

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the Qaumi Watan Party are poised to become allies again after remaining foes for 19 months.
Both would have to swallow their pride when they begin their new relationship. The PTI would be negating its own stance when it expelled two QWP ministers, Bakht Baidar and Ibrar Hussain, on corruption charges as the return of the Aftab Sherpao-led party to the provincial government would mean that the allegations were unsubstantiated.
And the QWP would have to forget and forgive the insult to which it was subjected after being forced out of the coalition government in November 2013 and agree to work again with a party it has been vehemently criticizing throughout 2014 and 2015.
The re-bonding of the PTI and QWP would be surprising but not unbelievable because there are no permanent friends and enemies in politics. Their reconciliation became possible when Chief Minister Pervez Khattak realized that his present coalition partners, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) weren’t dependable. In particular, the JI rendered itself untrustworthy due to its strident criticism of the chief minister after suffering losses in the May 30 local government elections. The AJIP also lost in its stronghold of Swabi but its criticism was directed more towards its nemesis, ANP, instead of the chief minister or the PTI.
Once the QWP is back in the government, the PTI won’t be bothered if the JI were to quit the government. In fact, the revival of the PTI-QWP alliance would reduce JI’s importance in the coalition government. In any case, the JI’s alliance with the PTI is confined to KP. The JI at times appears closer to the PML-N than the PTI in the centre and in Punjab. The PTI would like to have a more reliable ally than JI, though it is debatable if the QWP could be that kind of a partner. Like the JI, the QWP too has been supporting the PML-N in the centre.
In a bid to avoid the kind of problems encountered during their brief alliance after the May 2015 general election, the QWP this time has reportedly drafted a 12-point agreement seeking ‘iron-clad guarantees’ before joining the PTI-led provincial government. The QWP has proposed establishment of a liaison committee having two members each from QWP and PTI to oversee their alliance and, in case of impasse, refer the matter to the two party chiefs for resolution. The QWP would also like the PTI to take it into confidence on national issues outside KP. The QWP has expressed its intention for a long-term alliance with PTI beyond the present term of the assemblies.
Some of the other points in the draft agreement are reiteration of the QWP manifesto. Other points include a comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation package for the areas in KP and Fata affected by terrorism, setting up a trust fund for victims of terrorist attacks, making revenue from energy the part of calculation for formulating NFC award, uncapping the annual share of KP from hydel-generation projects sited in the province and pushing the federal government to pay KP its arrears, focusing on improving the law and order situation in KP and properly presenting KP’s case to the centre in getting its rights with regard to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The QWP provincial president Sikandar Hayat Sherpao is certain to return to the cabinet as the senior minister even though he had reportedly offered in a party meeting to stay out of it. The chief minister would also be keen to have him by his side in the cabinet to make sure the Sherpao family is on board. It is possible Sikandar Sherpao is handed over the same portfolios – irrigation and power -, that he had before quitting the cabinet in protest against the sacking of his two fellow ministers.
However, the QWP is unlikely to propose its previous ministers, Bakht Baidar Khan and Ibrar Hussain, who looked after labour and environment, respectively, to become cabinet members again. The two would certainly want to be re-inducted into the cabinet to clear their names, but the QWP knows this would risk starting the new relationship with the PTI on a negative note.
The QWP is expected to nominate Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, a long time loyalist of the Sherpao family, and Abdul Karim, a first-timer lawmaker from Swabi, for inclusion in the cabinet. Tahirkheli is well-qualified to become a minister after having already served as a minister of state and Senator in the past. Her inclusion in the all-male provincial cabinet would at least give some representation to the women in the government.
Abdul Karim’s family has also been close to the Sherpaos. His father Abdul Raziq Khan was an MPA. His uncle Abdul Malik, a lawyer by profession, was the QWP’s losing candidate in the Senate elections. The family has solid vote-bank in their provincial assembly constituency in Swabi.
Abdul Karim won admiration of the party leadership when he resisted tempting offers to sell his vote during the Senate elections held some months ago. The QWP had failed to win any seat in the Senate polls despite having 10 MPAs because at least three of its members had allegedly sold their votes in return for money. The party subsequently issued show-cause notices to three of its MPAs – Bakht Baidar from Lower Dir distrct, Sultan Mohammad Khan from Charsadda and Gohar Nawaz Khan of Haripur -, as they were suspected of violating party discipline in the Senate polls. Bakht Baidar and Ibrar Hussain had denied the allegation and replied to the show-cause notices issued to them.
In the case of Gohar Nawaz, the QWP was helpless as he was elected as an independent and had later joined the party. It was difficult to force him to accept the party discipline. It also needs mentioning that Gohar Nawaz’s nephew Babar Nawaz Khan is contesting the re-election for the National Assembly seat NA-19 Haripur as the PML-N candidate.
In the end though, no action in context of the Senate vote was taken by the QWP leadership against any of its suspect MPAs. However, they were asked to hand over their resignation as MPA to the party in case they are accused of violating its discipline again.