Politics picks up, focus on Punjab

LAHORE: The battle for Lahore throne has intensified as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) seems locked in a struggle to form the next provincial government.

Both the parties have failed to win an absolute majority in the country’s biggest provincial assembly, hence wheeling and dealing with smaller political parties and independent MPAs-elect. The PML-N leadership says it enjoys majority in the province, therefore it will form the next provincial government despite reservations over the election results. However, the PTI claims support of more MPAs-elect, and vowed to form the government in Punjab. According to preliminary poll results released by the ECP, the PTI is leading the National Assembly tally with 115 seats whereas the PML-N trails behind with 63 NA seats. In the Punjab Assembly, meanwhile, the PML-N leads with 127 seats, while the PTI has 122 seats.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has given his party leaders task to contact smaller parties and independents to form the federal government. In this regard, a PTI leader Jahangir Tareen contacted MQM convener and invited him to join the government formation process. Meanwhile, various candidates elected independently have started joining political parties, especially the PTI.

PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz Sharif claimed on Friday that his party would form the next government. “Despite massive rigging, the party emerged as the biggest winner in Punjab. Majority of the 27 independent candidates are standing with us,” Hamza claimed. “We will speak to the PPP and the PML-Q as well.” Sources said Hamza Shahbaz’s name has been put forward by the PML-N to become the leader of the house in the Punjab Assembly, and in case the party has to sit on the opposition benches, Khwaja Saad Rafique will be the opposition leader in the assembly. Hamza, the son of PML-N president and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, also thanked the public for voting for his party.

Hamza reminded the public that the PTI was allowed to form the government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the 2013 elections as the PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif respected the mandate of Imran Khan and gave him the opportunity to form the government in the province. He slammed the ECP for delay in the election results and mocked its Results Transmission System software which, according to the electoral body, faced a technical glitch during the vote count. Hamza resolved that the PML-N would continue to fulfil its constitutional duties under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. Despite our reservations, we want democracy to flourish in Pakistan, he added.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Naeemul Haq, in a media talk, said his party has the required numbers to make the next government in Punjab. “There is no doubt that the PML-N has the lead, but the assembly’s majority is with us,” he added. Both the parties have started contacting the independent candidates to garner maximum support to win Punjab Assembly. Haq said his party would not strike any compromises with the PPP to form a government in Punjab, according to Geo News report. He expressed his confidence in PTI's strong prospects to form the provincial government. "We have required numbers to form the government in Punjab. We are also in touch with the independent candidates, with whom we will form the government," the PTI leader said.

About the All Parties Conference (APC), called by PML-N and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), Haq said he hoped it would not demand a re-election. The PTI leader pointed out that his party has defeated political heavyweights in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and also won a significant number of seats from Sindh's economic hub, Karachi. "We emerged as Sindh's second-largest winners," he observed, adding the public has clearly announced its mandate in the polls. “We are ready to open any constituency, if opposition has doubt of rigging. We will investigate, if someone is guilty of rigging, he must face consequences,” he said.

Sources told Geo News that the PTI has invited 14 independent candidates to join the party so far. Party leader Jahangir Tareen and Chaudhry Sarwar are in contact with others. Also, Aleem Khan, Fawad Chaudhry and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed are being considered for the provincial top slot. Similarly, sources said 18 independent members have shown their intent to support PTI's nominee for the leader of the house as per the report presented by the party leader Jahangir Tareen to PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

On the other hand, PTI chairman has already given the important task of contacting all smaller and regional political parties as well as independents to form governments in Centre and Punjab province. On Friday, the PTI leadership invited MQM-P Convenor Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to join their incoming government. The senior leadership of both parties are expected to meet in the coming days. Dr Siddiqui confirmed that his party was invited by Jahangir Tareen to join their incoming government, but added the decision to meet the PTI representatives would be taken by the Rabita Committee. The MQM-Pakistan has summoned Rabita Committee meeting at its Bahadurabad office. Tareen told Dr Siddiqui that both parties should have a dialogue as they have been given mandate by the people of Karachi. Siddiqui replied that his party's doors were open for the dialogue. In what is being considered to be a surprising development, the PTI won 14 of 21 seats from Karachi while the MQM-P won four.