PPP: the ‘right’ turn?

Any chance that the bitterness of last week’s Senate elections could be put behind with the nomination of a consensus pick as Senate chairman was scuppered after PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari rejected Nawaz Sharif’s suggestion that Raza Rabbani be allowed to continue in the role. Rabbani had earned respect with the way he shepherded the 18th Amendment through the Senate and his bold defence of parliamentary supremacy. Zardari, however, seems to be less enamoured of his party member, accusing him of overlooking constitutional transgressions by Nawaz and ignoring the party’s reservations about the 18th Amendment. Sources close to Rabbani are reported to have said that the accusations are contrary to the facts although Rabbani’s farewell speech in the Senate was non-confrontational. Zardari’s criticisms of Rabbani say less about the Senate chairman and more about the direction the party has taken.

In outperforming expectations in the Senate elections, the PPP has been accused of horse-trading, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Zardari’s meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Quddus Bizenjo on Thursday, as the PPP tries to win over independents to back the PPP, shows that he is cobbling together a new alliance. These steps seem to be in contradiction to PPP stalwart Farhatullah Babar’s warnings about the direction of democracy in the country; Babar was subsequently reported to have been removed from his position as party spokesperson. It is telling that both Rabbani and Babar have been distanced by the PPP leadership. The new path being taken by the PPP was outlined in the farewell speech by Senator Aitzaz Ahsan where he blasted the PML-N for its criticism of the judiciary.

The future of the Senate now boils down to a numbers game. The PML-N and its allies together have 48 seats in the 102-member body although that could be significantly reduced if independents start defecting; reportedly PM Abbasi has also met with Fata senators in a bid for more seats. For the PPP to retain control of the Senate, it will need the support of the PTI, something the PTI has previously opposed but has now endorsed in practice if not words. Imran Khan has said he will “hand over” his 13 seats to Balochistan Chief Minister Bizenjo, who is likely to support the PPP candidate for Senate chairman; Bizenjo’s one demand is that the chairman be from Balochistan and likely from among the ranks of his government’s Senate contingent. Imran himself has said the Senate chairman should be from Balochistan and the deputy from Fata. All this jockeying has created the impression of an unprincipled PPP that is willing to ally with anyone to hold on to what little power it has. Zardari has strayed from the principles of civilian supremacy the PPP has always claimed to hold in the quest for power. Whatever short-term gains it brings the party will be more than wiped out by the larger damage to the party’s reputation.