Naveed Miraj
ISLAMABAD, -PTI government’s woes are increasing as allies that provide crucial numbers to the party in the National Assembly to sustain its majority are outing up fresh demands.
Recent meetings between PTI’s negotiations committee and MQM’s Rabta Committee did not go very well. MQM’s side was quite adamant on some of their demands those included billions of Rupees worth packages for Karachi and Hyderabad to be spent on project of their choice, opening of the offices that were closed during the last law & order operation in Karachi and release of its workers who were arrested.
PTI government’s committee was hand tied as it was informed already by the security agencies that opening of offices and releasing of MQM’s workers facing terrorism charges will unleash as reign of terror again in Karachi. Security agencies believe that some part of MQM –Pakistan are still in touch with Altaf Husain who once ruled Karachi while sitting in London.
Similarly, the demand for funds was also not acceptable on the terms that MQM-P presented.
In the while PML (Q) has also presented its demands that they want development funds for their constituencies, one more ministry at the federal level, also it wants that the cabinet ministers that it has at province and the federal level should have free hand (They claim that the bureaucracy in the respective ministries has been told by the PM and CM that they do not have to follow their ministers orders) and also they want some positions for a few key PML (Q) leaders who did not win elections. They have put up one-week deadline for the PTI government to accept their demands.
BNM and GDA have also their own issues with the government and are pressing for their demands. BNM demands may also present the same kind of challenge as many missing persons in Baluchistan whose recovery BNM wants have serious questions marks about their links with Iran and India.
The real problem for PTI government is that besides its walking from one crisis to other, it now seemingly is on its own as the military establishment that once managed politics for the government’s survival has pulled back. Sources claim that one key negotiating point between the military establishment and the opposition parties at the time of support for Army Act amendment was that Khan government would no more be supported by political maneuvering of military establishment. Sensing this the allies have started to recalibrate their politics and want their demands met or realign themselves in the political chess game.
In the meanwhile, PML (N) has sent feelers to PML (Q) that it is ready to join hands with it for the sake of Punjab province so that the province can be freed from bad governance of Buzdar government. The performance of Buzdar government is also under question within PTI benches itself.
