Daily Times

Imran Khan will be sworn in today as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. Moreover, as Leader of the House in the 342-seat National Assembly, he boasts a comfortable majority. For while the PTI chief needed only 172 votes to secure an outright win — he walked away with a total of 176. He was helped along the way by his five electoral allies, including: the MQM-P, one-time foe as well as the so-called ‘made-to-measure’ Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Shehbaz Sharif, the candidate fielded by the joint opposition, was not so lucky. Having lost the support of two alliance members left him with only 96 votes. That the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) abstained from the process of democratic selection was, in truth, no real biggie. Not when the party boasts just one seat in the National Assembly. The PPP, for the first time in its history chose to remain on the sidelines when it came to electing the premier. And though it is the third-largest party at the Centre, in real terms it has 54 seats under its belt. Meaning that had it decided to go ahead and throw its political weight behind the PMLN stalwart — this would not have been sufficiently good a knock to dismiss Kaptaan.

That being said, all promises of a robust opposition suddenly ring hollow.

It appears to be each man for himself. If, that is, current whispers are to be believed. These suggest that in light of the PPP co-Chairman’s ongoing dealings with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — the party had decided to send the establishment that it is willing to cooperate with the new set-up. This is something to which PMLN leader Khawaja Saad Rafique wryly referred while commenting that his party does not blame Asif Ali Zardari for his change of heart; after all, they are aware of his ‘troubles’. On the other hand, the U-turn could be entirely rooted in pragmatism. Meaning that since the PPP has been returned to power in Sindh it will have to establish a good working relationship with the federal set-up. This may or may not include extending an indirect olive branch to the MQM-P in Karachi.

With the PMLN out of office across the board, there is the risk that it will spend the next five years endeavouring to make the PTI pay for the humiliation dealt to its leader. Especially since the party has lost its previously ‘guaranteed’ stronghold in the Punjab. Yet it would be prudent for Imran and all his men to work with the PMLN for long-term politial stability. While desisitng the creation of a forward bloc, as some media have suggested.

Thus it is up to Kaptaan to set both the tone and boundaries of doing parliamentary business for the next five years.  *

Published in Daily Times, August 18^th 2018.