Daily Times

Shah Mehmood Qureshi has done it. In Raymond Davis-style, he has gunned down the PPP in broad daylight and surrendered himself to another party.

The political plot thickens.

Qureshi is now planning to join his fellow Aitchisonian Imran Khan. He will not be alone. It is expected that some PPP MPAs from South Punjab will be holding on to his coattails as he lands on to the PTI arena with an electoral bang, leaving PPP politicians to hurl invectives at him and his posse. If the PPP, or “Zardari League” as Qureshi dubbed it, is the jilted lover, the PML-N will be the mistress who has been let down by the former foreign minister. Imran has much to smile about. The Sharif brothers do not. And Zardari? Well, let’s just say, he is getting used to this kind of thing.

Qureshi’s announcement was expected. He had already said publicly that he was disassociating himself from his party, and would be announcing his future plans at a rally on November 27. What was surprising was how he said what he said. And what he said was dripping with political calculations aimed at his own future. Adulation for Benazir Bhutto and contempt for Zardari was clearly Qureshi’s way of appealing to those PPP voters who are disgusted by the way the party is being run.

Qureshi knows he will need these votes. His influence crosses over from southern Punjab to Sindh. This is PPP territory. He wants a piece of that electoral pie. By painting himself as a victim of Zardari’s unprincipled politics, and by invoking the spirit of Benazir, he wants to have his PPP cake, and eat it too.

And that is not all. He plans to share it with the PTI. His resignation speech was thus laced with sentiments aimed at accentuating the ambience of change. He knew his words would be used against him, and perhaps also in his support, once he hits the campaign trail. Starting from his rally in Ghotki on November 27, Qureshi will repeat these sentiments in front of his voters, and keep himself wrapped in Benazir’s philosophy, as he sees it. He is planning to do smart politics.

Smart politics also reflects in his choice of PTI. The PML-N was clearly the safer bet in terms of an electoral victory. But in the Sharifs’ party, Qureshi would have been just one of the many big boys. And the tension with Javed Hashmi would have probably ensured that his role remained limited to quite an extent. Two swords in the Multan scabbard would have been an uneasy, if not a near-impossible fit.

In PTI, Qureshi can become the veritable Number Two after Imran Khan. He is by far the biggest catch that Imran has netted. Not only is he a catch, he will also be the bait through which other electables will latch on to Imran’s bandwagon. Qureshi’s influence in the rural areas of South Punjab is just what the political doctor ordered for PTI. Expect him to become the de facto in-charge of PTI’s rural campaign.

While Qureshi’s indictment of the PPP was expected to an extent, his complete vote-of-no-confidence in the present parliament is a bombshell. Calling for early elections may be a political ploy to unnerve the government — PTI needs another year to get its act together — but undermining parliament is aimed at ensuring a better deal for his party when it comes to demanding electoral reforms. Although he did not say it in so many words, it is quite likely that Qureshi will soon demand that elections be held under a neutral setup, which does not include Zardari.

What we witnessed Monday is a reflection of the changes in the air since PTI’s Lahore rally. Imran knows he needs to rack up some political heavyweights before his crucial Karachi jalsa. December 25th was the date bandied about for the Karachi event but many within the PTI’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) are arguing this is too soon. What they realise is they have a month or two at best to add electables to their ranks before their shift into higher gear. Qureshi will bring some such people with him. A few other PPP and PML-N electables are waiting in the shadows. The Jehangir Tareen brigade — which boasts of a number of constituency politicians — is also on the verge of going public with PTI. The fast-paced development of the next few weeks have been carefully wargamed by Imran Inc and events are unfolding as per plan.

But we all know what can happen to the best laid plans. The PML-N is in the process of coming out of its denial, and the PPP is also realising it cannot sit smugly as the PTI Express moves on to the fast track. Once Qureshi starts blasting the Zardari League from PTI’s platform, PPP big guns will be forced to respond. That is when their smugness will turn to concern.

And concern is also something which the PML-Q will be experiencing quite intensely. Qureshi targeted the ‘Qatil’ League in his resignation speech. He will make this a habit. Their alliance with the PPP will come under fresh attack, especially when the Leghari brothers join in the chorus, probably from the PTI platform.

Then it is a no holds barred game of brutal politics. March Senate polls are only a four months away. But these are going to be very long four months.

The writer hosts a primetime show on a private TV channel. He can be reached at fahd.husain1@gmail.com