Daily Times

On April 7, 2019, I wrote a column “Prime Minister Qureshi” on the then emerging political situation in the PTI when the political stalwart of the PTI and serving foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, flanked by Chaudhry Sarwar, spoke his heart out. It was to clear the long-denied internal divisions, clashes and leg pulling within the party. Defying and denying its genuine political ideology and manifesto, the PTI contested the 2018 elections with ‘electables’. Different politicians flew to PTI’s nest as the party was being favoured by ‘friends’. So did Jehangir Tareen, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi.

Qureshi being very shrewd first got rid of the heavyweight Hashmi. Qureshi’s next target was Tareen. But in the 2018 elections, the PTI could not win comfortable numbers in the centre and in Punjab. The number game added tension to a politically inexperienced and incapable Imran Khan. For his ‘term’, KhAN was on the mercy of the ‘Tareen ATM’. Tareen showered money and brought winning candidates to Khan at Bani Gala. He became the transporter of Khan, pocketing, fetching and lodging members for the PTI rule more than any other political stalwart.

Though Qureshi also did a lot for the PTI, Tareen remained unbeatable. At the time of election 2018,the PTI had over a dozen candidates of premiership. A large list of hopeful premiers is still open in the PTI, waiting for a ‘fortunate’ moment. More than anyone else, it is Qureshi. Khan’s failure will pave Qureshi’s way to the Prime Minister House.

After facing lifetime disqualification, Tareen, on the consent of Khan, continued playing his political role for the PTI government. The Supreme Court disallowed Nawaz Sharif to hold any political position, but under the same section of Article 62F of the Constitution, Tareen continued playing games in politics. In Tareen’s case, neither the Supreme Court charged him for contempt of court nor did Qureshi utter a single word. But now suddenly Qureshi has lashed out on Tareen’s unconstitutional role in the business of PTI government.

Tareen’s continual unconstitutional support to Khan is a big obstacle in Qureshi’s way to the Prime Minister House. Every one knows that Khan is backing Tareen for his role in government matters, but what made Qureshi speak at this stage, before the fiscal budget 2019-20? Who is behind Qureshi? If he acting at his own, he will meet the fate of Justice Wajeehuddin and Hamid Khan, but if ‘friends’ are backing him, Khan with Tareen will have to go. Is Khan’s chapter closing? Is Qureshi the next hope of ‘friends’? Within the PTI, Qureshi is a serious threat to Khan. During Musharraf’s regime Qureshi missed his flight to land in the Prime Minister House.

The entire nation has anxiously been waiting for PTI’s delivery. After one and a half year, Khan-led PTI seems drastically unsuccessful in deliverance. Khan still considers Tareen his most trusted man in politics, particularly when dealing with Punjab. Khan strongly believes that the PTI would not have been able to form government in the Centre and Punjab had Tareen not gathered the required numbers.

After the bickering between PTI’s top stalwarts, Tareen and Qureshi, will Qureshi be the next prey for raising his voice against the blue-eyed man of Khan? If that happens, he won’t be the first. Will Qureshi fight it out? Is raising voice against Tareen raising voice against Khan? Is Khan still the strongest leader of the PTI and the party without him would not be able to survive or has he lost his grip over the party? Should he not look after the party’s interests before it is too late?

Tareen’s continual unconstitutional support to Khan is a big obstacle in Qureshi’s way to the Prime Minister House

The need of the moment is that Khan should either hold intra-party elections or announce his successor himself. One good thing in the PTI is that unlike the Bhuttos and the Sharifs, there is no family legacy imposed on the party. But at the same time, in the absence of a democratic and electoral process within the PTI, will it be a struggle to move ahead without Khan’s direction? Is not a personality cult as damaging to a party as a political dynasty? About the future of the party, serious discussions have commenced. The outburst of Qureshi against Tareen, a day after the PTI retained its Punjab Assembly seat from Multan, clearly reflects that there is serious trouble within the PTI.

After Qureshi’s outburst, Tareen was openly supported by the PTI leaders close to him-Fawad Chaudhry, Pervez Khattak, Imran Ismail, Awn Chaudhry, Faisal Vawda and Shakoor Shad, who surprised everyone when he defeated Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from Lyari in 2018. In 2013, when the election commission of the PTI, headed by Justice Wajihuddin, levelled serious allegations against Tareen and a few others, for manipulating intra-party elections, Khan chose Tareen over the commission’s findings. Later, Justice Wajihuddin was asked to quit the party. The same treatment was meted out to Hamid Khan, the man responsible for forming of PTI’s constitution. He also had serious reservations about Tareen.

Is Khan still a hope for his ‘friends’ who expected him to set a good example not only in government but also in the party? How can he side with a person who has not only been disqualified by his party’s election commission but also the Supreme Court? Here, Qureshi stands high for raising his voice against Tareen. Qureshi has risen at the time when Khan seems to be drowning. As per the precedent set during the last three terms of ‘friends’, how can President ArifAlvi complete the journey with only one prime minister? Maulana’s’Azadi’ march will favour Qureshi as the next choice of the ‘friends’ for the inhouse change. The demand of resignation from Khan would oblige Qureshi.

Honestly speaking, the seasoned politician Shah Mehmood Qureshi is the best choice and the best replacement of incapable, inexperienced and inefficient Imran Khan as the prime minister of Pakistan. He is an experienced foreign minister, with solid knowledge of the delicacies of diplomacy and international politics. He is capable of steering Pakistan to safe shores. This Azadi march will be a blessing in disguise for Qureshi. It seems it is time for a genuine ‘change’.

The writer is a book ambassador, columnist, political analyst and author of several books. He is based in Islamabad