Rupture of PML-N’s marriage with JUI-F, NP, PkMAP

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), National Party (NP) and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) have annulled their marriage with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after eight years.

They always relished in exceptional relationship as they worked together in the government as well as opposition for a long time before the divorce abruptly took place. There was a brief hiatus when their ties became sour as JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman undertook the Azadi March that was later converted into a sit-in in the federal capital last year. The approach and strategy of the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of maintaining a visible distance from the protest disenchanted the JUI-F supremo and created misgivings in his mind about their role in strengthening cohesion in the opposition for its greater unity. But still he did not call it a day. The breaking point came when the PML-N took a unilateral decision to vote for the legislation to give a three-year extension to Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as the chief of the army staff. Although the so-called Rahbar Committee of the loose multiparty opposition grouping existed at the time, the PML-N chose not to consult with it or any of its longtime ally. Separately, the PPP decided to support the law while grudging that the PML-N did not take it in the loop. The JUI-F, PkMAP and NP went against the parliamentary approval of the legislation.

The PML-N tried to soften up Fazlur Rehman on his stand on the proposed law, but he stood ground and insisted that the next ‘genuinely elected’ parliament and not the present ‘fake’ legislature was qualified to pass such a statute. The nominal numerical parliamentary strength of these three parties put together failed to make any dent in the efforts to approve the legislation.

Dejected JUI-F chief formally parted ways with the PML-N as well as the PPP and cobbled together a six-party coalition of religious entities that doesn’t include the PkMAP and NP, which, however, are ready to break bread with Fazlur Rehman while staying away from this alliance. The new grouping is a nonstarter for having no weighty public say. Of its components, only the JUI-F is a formidable political force. The Jamaat-e-Islami preferred to stand alone in the political arena. Because of their sturdy alliance for a long time, the JUI-F, NP and PkMAP were part of the previous PML-N government at the federal and Balochistan levels and had got their due shares. Not only that, Fazlur Rehman, Mahmood Achakzai and Hasil Bizenjo always expressed solidarity with and extended all sorts of support to Nawaz Sharif when he was faced with hard times due to the accountability process. They had cooperated in the 2013 general elections through seat adjustments in certain constituencies.

While the PML-N and PPP are obviously strongly opposed to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the new grouping is equally against the ruling party. Because of the massive bad blood existing between the two, there is no likelihood of any collaboration between the new alliance and PTI even in future. On the other hand, despite the present bitterness, there are still prospects of a teamwork between the JUI-F and PML-N in the next general elections. The reason is clear: Fazlur Rehman led combination doesn’t have good chances of a respectable showing at the husting unless it joins hands with a major political party and its natural ally is the PML-N.

In spite of their prevailing acrimony, the new grouping has not gone all-out to attack the PML-N and PPP. Rather its tirade continues to be focused against the PTI government. For some time, Fazlur Rehman, Achakzai and Bizenjo vented out their anger against the PML-N, but they did not indulge in a full-scale campaign against it. For the time being, the opposition stands splintered. On the one hand, there is rancour between the JUI-F and PML-N/PPP, on the other, the PML-N and PPP are not on good terms after the vote on the important legislation. However, despite their tense and strained relations, all the opposition parties persist with their complete cooperation in the parliament when it comes to challenging the government or opposing its proposed laws. Even in this bad time for the opposition’s unity, none of the opposition parties has started backing the government.