Daily Times

Sir: In a recent press conference, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari claimed that his party would form the government in Punjab, or at least would be the party with the majority of the seats.

While I’m pretty sure this was encouraging for many of his supporters, his comment became a source of derision for many political commentators who thought that the PPP’s recent conduct, and their electoral history in the province might suggest otherwise.

Mr Zardari’s confidence in his party is laudable, but these words are probably empty at best. Anybody with a basic understanding of the current political situation in Pakistan can tell that the in terms of popularity, the PPP is at best, the third most popular party, with the PML-N and the PTI leading the pack. Additionally, the party has never fared well in Punjab since the days of the enigmatic Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with the PML-N enjoying a comfortable majority in each of the last three elections.

After the 2008 elections, they had enough seats to form a government in the center, yet Punjab was still controlled by the PML-N, who managed to win 171 seats, compared to PPP’s 107 seats. To expect to better this number in the current political climate is not only idealistic but also unlikely.

Murtaza Hassan

Lahore

Published in Daily Times, June 26^th 2018.