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Thursday March 28, 2024

PPP’s timely reality check benefits PM

By Fasihur Rehman Khan
April 08, 2016

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ISLAMABAD: The PPP leadership seems to have applied a ‘timely’ reality check on the “Panama leaks” related offensive against the incumbent government.

All this at a time when PTI’s moral brigade and affiliates occupy social media and television beams on the issue termed “a defining moment” by Imran Khan on the floor of the National Assembly Thursday evening. Imran’s speech in the legislature had a veiled threat of 126 days long ‘dharna’ repeat performance, provided the government failed to form an effective judicial commission, according to the opposition demands. Forensic examination of money trail to offshore companies, owned by the children of premier Sharif was the focal point Khan was trying to emphasise, as opposition leader Khursheed Shah struggled with words to put across his viewpoint when it came to some fiscal, monetary terminologies. Imran, however, made it clear to the ministerial bandwagon in so many words that his warning of kick-starting a mass movement against the government must not be taken lightly. The PTI has already announced a public meeting on D-Chowk on April 24, in clear defiance of interior minister’s vow not to let anyone make to this sensitive place.  Tucked in the front rows during Khursheed Shah’s speech, Ch Nisar and Ishaq Dar did not return to listen to what Imran had to say after Maghrib prayers break.

Interestingly, on this day, the PTI chief didn’t seem in his usual spirits. It was a clear departure from his aggressive, spirited style. No fireworks at all. Remember August 2014, as Khan didn’t stop short of materialising his warning to launch a long march towards the capital even when Premier Nawaz Sharif met his demand at the last minute. He wrote to the then top judge to form a judicial commission to investigate allegations of rigging in the 2013 general elections.

The ground realities then were much different from what they are today, and especially after safe exit provided to Gen (retd) Musharraf. Now they say the establishment doesn’t want any political upheaval in the wake of Chinese CPEC, and military operations in tribal areas entering their final stage. Rest will be evident in the days to come. 

Having first-hand knowledge of the background developments on the PPP-PTI failed parleys, Premier Sharif must be a relieved man. So he didn’t turn up to witness the divided opposition’s lacklustre performance when his lieutenants, especially Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, were well prepared to take on the PTI ranks.

Asif launched some frontal attacks on the PTI leadership, reminding Imran of his past fondness for offshore companies when it came to investing abroad for his hospital project.

It didn’t go well with the seemingly fuming Khan, who later on through his reply, thought of it as a cheap tactic by the PML-N planners. Leading from the front on the issue, Daniyal Aziz was not a happy man as he sat quietly listening to Khan’s outbursts that were essentially belittling his laborious effort.

But Kh Asif was loud and tactful throughout his speech as he launched his reply after opposition leader Khursheed Shah’s unnecessarily dragged opening speech. Asif amused the treasury through his “tongue in cheek” sentences and jibes directed at the PTI leadership. 

Sitting at the far end of the opposition benches, Sheikh Rashid could only fume without much ado. Asif wanted the opposition to move top court on the Panama leaks issue, but opposition’s top brains knew well the issue revolves more around morality rather than legality.

For his part, there was nothing new Khan could offer through his lower house speech for now as he repeated all that he has been telling through news conferences and television interviews throughout the last week or so.

This was an exhaustive exercise by the PTI bandwagon hoping events of the last few days, including the mini dharna at D-Chowk by a sectarian group, might be a long awaited signal by the establishment to flex muscles for a mass movement to oust the Sharifs of Lahore. The uneasiness of the Punjab government on some aspects of operation against militants in the province was also an indicator.  All this coupled with the ISPR tweets on the issue could have been quite an explosive stuff for days and weeks to come.

All this at a time when Premier Nawaz Sharif-led political dispensation finds itself in a tight corner – politically and morally. Not any more.

Thanks to the friendly intervention by the PPP ranks, as some insiders indicate the most unlikely PPP-PTI joining ranks behind a demand to compel Premier Sharif to resign or become dormant for a limited time was torpedoed by none other than elder Zardari Sahib.

This became the breaking point of the opposition’s alliance that could never realise, even at the level of national legislature. Political expediencies and compulsions do matter for pragmatic politicians despite a conducive environment to gain maximum through rhetoric and point scoring.  Keeping all this in mind, opposition leader Khursheed Shah had set the tone through his lengthy speech as Thursday evening proceedings kick-started, and many in the opposition ranks as well as up there in the press gallery were naively expecting treasury will have a field day.  Shah had two clear messages for both the treasury as well as the PTI bravados trying to put up a brave face and somewhat aggressive body language as leader Imran Khan had turned up in the National Assembly after a long absence.

First he went with the flow demanding an acceptable to all judicial commission comprising sitting judges of the top court with a mandate to engage internationally reputed audit firm that should probe into allegations against Premier Sharif’s children, and rest of the political and business elite mentioned in the leaks.  This was a “no retreat, no surrender” demand by the top PPP man from the PML-N-led dispensation.

But the best part was for the PTI bee line gathered this day in the national legislature to buck up their leader. It was quite a dampener for Khan’s lieutenants when Khursheed Shah told them plainly the PPP won’t demand PM Sharif’s resignation till culmination of the probe by the judicial commission and that too, if formed according to opposition’s demands. 

This actually meant more time for the government, till PTI is compelled to announce its final line of action. And if the compulsory agitators in the PTI didn’t find conducive environment to launch such a movement, then business as usual.