Building pressure for fresh elections

PML-N senior leader Rana Sanauullah, while talking to media in Lahore, said that his party will not become a part of interim set up and want fresh elections which are the only solution solution to the prevailing political and economic crisis in the country. He said that grievances of JUI (F) Chief Maualna Fazalu Rehman about the main opposition party shall be addressed to forge a grand alliance of opposition political parties. He told that PML-N president Shabaz Sharif will return soon from abroad soon.

It appears that PML-N may have made backdoor contacts with JUI (F) Central Amir Maulana Fazalu Rehman because he has announced to once again start anti-government movement with the support of small opposition parties. Talking to media in Lahore, he said that he will not invite PML-N and PPP leaders to his party conventions and public meetings but he will welcome their participation in such events.

The JUI Supremo anti-government protest plan envisages workers convention in Karachi on February 23, a national convention in Islamabad on March 1 and Azadi March in Lahore on March 19. What does signify the holding of Azadi March in the bastion of PML-N? Previously, when Maulana’s Azadi March was passing through Lahore, none of the senior leaders of PML-N came out to even show a symbolic participation. Being a shrewd politician, Maualana Fazalu Rehman may have obtained tacit assurance from the leadership of major opposition parties to support his protest plan. Giving the justification of renewed anti-government movement, Maulana Fazalu Rehman claimed that he had ended his sit-in in Islamabad last year on the assurance that Prime Minister will resign and freswh election shall be held three months after his resignation. He asked Punjab Assembly Speaker, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to disclose the secret of Amanat that he is carrying.

While addressing Azad Kashmir Assembly on Kashmir Solidarity Day, Prime Minister Imran Khan rejected the suggestion of setting aside his differences with opposition leaders. The suggestion had come from the Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider. The leadership of opposition parties may use it as pretext for supporting the JUI anti-government movement. They will exploit the situation that has arisen from the shortages of food commodities and their rising prices to gather support of the masses with false promises as they will not come up with alternative short term strategy and long term plan for the weal and welfare of the people.

The situation on the Line of Control is tensed because of daily shelling of Indian forces targeting civilian population. The prospects of ceasefire agreement between the Taliban and the US are becoming visible. The incumbent government is playing a proactive diplomatic role to facilitate a broad-based political settlement of Afghanistan. In the prevailing regional situation, creating political instability in the country will be detrimental to national interest.