PMLQ awaits PMLN assurance on assemblies

LAHORE:The PMLQ has put its maneuvering campaign on idling amidst deafening political brouhaha in view of the indecision on part of its top leadership which is awaiting assurance from the PMLN on its promise that the assemblies would complete their term, The News has learnt.

PMLQ sources say party President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi believe the PML-N has left the negotiation process quite far down the road.

Both the movers and shakers in the PMLQ think the N part is yet to clear the haze on the decision whether or not the current setup will complete the tenure once the tables are turned on PM Imran Khan. Sources says some loose ends were left after the last round of engagement with the PML-N registered reservations over taking the new setup at the centre and in provinces till October 2023. The allies – PMLQ, MQM and BAP – have vowed to stand with the combined opposition or the government in unison. This implies any doubt in the house of Chaudhrys will trigger a chain reaction within the allied-combo, making it difficult for each party to take a solo decision. Though each party has its own bargain points, the culminating point for reaching a consensus is tied to the fact the allied parties will live and die together. The indecision has influenced the ongoing opposition onslaught against the Imran government. Any announcement in favour of the opposition by the allies would have been the endgame for the government. It would have rendered the no-confidence move useless for the PM would have to take a vote of confidence after losing the majority. It would have also quashed all ill-founded apprehensions with regard to the procedural hiccups in the implementation of Article 95 and Article 63-A(1).

The allied-combo was supposed to come out in the open on March 24. The plan was postponed till March 25-26. Had the allies shown the cards in favour of the opposition, it would have beaten the living daylights out of the Imran Khan government. Till the filing of this report, the PMLQ was undecided. In politics, nothing is impossible, yet timing is the difference between success and failure. The next 24 hours are crucial in this regard, sources said. It seems, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif is ready to play roulette. It looks to be a suicidal option against the backdrop of the mess PM Imran Khan is ready to create for saving his skin.

If the PMLQ loses hope in the opposition, it might lead to a domino effect, leaving the PPP empty handed for being the fulcrum in the allies-opposition parleys. Surely, the opposition will bank on the PTI defectors for the success of the no-trust move, the task could have been smooth had the allies been pampered a bit more.

When contacted, the PMLQ Spokesperson Senator Kamil Ali Agha said he had no such knowledge as to why the PMLQ had not made the decision public. “I can’t say anything about it because I don’t know the matter. I don’t even know whether or not the Chaudhrys are indecisive,’’ he added. PMLN Spokesperson Uzma Bukhari said it was her party’s prerogative to decide about the timing of announcing its decisions.