Daily Times

Sir: Opposition parties lost another opportunity to forge unity in their ranks and form some sort of an alliance to give PML(N)’s candidate for premiership Shahid Khaqan Abbasi some anxious moments.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would have still be easily elected as the country’s 16th prime minister, though for an interim period of 45 days, as a successor to the disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif but the opposition parties would not have been exposed as they stand exposed now.

In all fairness, PML (QA) President Ch Shujat Hussain, senior central leader Ch Parvez Elahi and Secretary General Tariq Bashir Cheema made last ditched efforts holding meeting with opposition parties leaders but their good efforts failed to bring the opposition parties together to put up a one unanimous opposition candidate for the top slot.

PML(N) candidate Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was supported by the allies including JUI(F) and MQM-P and he got 221 votes whereas PPP’s candidate Syed Naveed Qamar got 47, PTI’s Sh Rashid Ahmad got 33 and Jamat-e-Islami’s Sahibzada Tariqullah only four votes of his party.

Opposition parties’ three candidates got total number of 84 votes and the ruling party’s candidate got 221 votes two and half per cent more. This has made the difference in the strength of the ruling party and allies and the opposition parties very clear once again.

With such disunity in their ranks, how the opposition parties want to challenge and try to create dent in the PML(N) stronghold Punjab singly if they could not put a unanimously joint candidate on the election of the new prime minister.

Contrary to all expectations and analysis, ouster of Nawaz Sharif has only made his party stronger despite setbacks of the sorts.

The PML(QA) leadership has all along been striving for unity among the opposition parties and it needs to further intensify their efforts in this regard though the opposition parties seems to be more interested in solo flights on all occasions topped by upcoming elections then be united on a minimum unanimously agreed agenda. If the opposition parties remain divided like wand do not form even electoral alliance ahead of 2018 general election, they are going to gain nothing and just nothing. It is rightly said united we stand and win and divided we fall and fall pretty deeper.

IBRAR HUSSAIN

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, August 5^th 2017.