What can be Imran’s new strategy?

ISLAMABAD: As Imran Khan in search for technocrats from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Senate elections and early resumption of dharna or agitation is not part of his new strategy at least till March.
He is looking for a breakthrough on Judicial Commission on election rigging through Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah but question is if Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has a mediating formula acceptable to both PTI and PML-N. If situation persists without early solution, he can go for a public meeting in the second or third week of March, may be on Pakistan Day, March 23, in Lahore.
Imran, who has more confidence on technocrats, is trying to convince his party to send good team of technocrats in the Senate something which many party leaders do not agree. PTI, which lacks experience as far as Senate is concerned, is hopeful of getting at least six seats while two may go to its alley Jamaat-e-Islami. The sources said that Imran wanted that even on the general seats his party should nominate technocrats.
However, some other party leaders were of the view that political people should be nominated including those who had stood with the party in difficult time. As PTI can only get six seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PK), the pressure is mounting and the decision of Jehangir Tareen not to contest as Senator has been taken in the same backdrop.
There is also some opposition within KP PTI over the name of Azam Swati. Although Imran is still very adamant on the withdrawal of resignation of the National and provincial assembly members even when he endorsed the decision to participate in the Senate and the PTI core leadership may give it a second thought in case of any breakthrough on judicial commission.
However, some party leaders believe that without going into the assemblies, the PTI would not be able to bring any electoral reforms even if judicial commission declares elections void and recommends fresh elections. If the assemblies are dissolved and prime minister steps down, the elections will be held under the existing law.
The new Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would be nothing but change of faces.Therefore, PPP can request PTI to reconsider its decision to quit the assemblies and return once an agreement is reached and judicial commission is constituted.
Now what the possible role can be of the PPP in a situation, where PTI on the one hand insists that the Terms of Reference (ToRs) should revolve around election rigging while the government wants that the judicial commission should investigate the allegations of PTI that Nawaz Sharif, Iftikhar Chaudhry and ECP conspired to change the PTI mandate.
Even after dozens of rounds, the two could not reach on any consensus on the ToRs so what new formula Syed Khursheed Shah along with other senior PPP leaders can come up with. Syed Khursheed Shah, who is in Islamabad on Monday, will meet PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and senior leaders like Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raza Rabbani, Aitzaz Ahsan and others to evolve a mediating formula after both PML-N and PTI leaders have given clear indication that they are ready for PPP’s mediating role. This has given some hope for a breakthrough as PTI, too, wants to settle this issue down as soon as possible.
Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, who is heading the government negotiating team, has already given his consent to Khursheed Shah while PTI leader Jehangir Tareen had also reportedly been quoted as saying that his party had also no objection and he would meet Khursheed Shah on Tuesday.
“We only want that the political temperature should not rise and if we can play any role of mediator or arbitrator among political colleagues, we will be happy to do so,” Qamar Zaman Kaira told this scribe.
“If mediation can come with consent of the two parties, chances of success is much higher,” he added.In the past, Imran had expressed confidence on him during his dharna movement and had almost agreed on withdrawing the demand of PM’s resignation (which he later dropped).
However, Kaira believed that the role of the Siyasi Jirga was different as it lacked the consent of the two parties and what they did was on their own.Arif Alvi, PTI senior leader, told this scribe that Imran Khan would take the final decision about the PPP’s mediation but indicated that the party wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
“We will welcome friends from any side and we are ready to be more flexible depending on the proposal,” he said. Without major electoral reforms, the new elections would be meaningless, he added.
Alvi is right but the dilemma which PTI is facing today is the absence of their MNAs from the NA. They are mere outsiders and without going back to the assemblies, they would be left with no other choice but to accept the present electoral system.Can PTI leadership be able to convince party chairman on this very point that he would be a loser even if he forces the government to step down?