Presidential Election 2008 has removed much confusion and dust on political horizon of Pakistan, formed new alliances and drawn battle lines for foreseeable future, political analysts said here on Saturday.
Commenting on the outcome of the Presidential election, they said that PPP won the election, Pakistan Muslim League-N consolidated its strength in the Punjab Assembly and Parliament and Chaudhry's PML (Q) lost much of its clout and vitality.
They said that had the PML-Q withdrawn its candidate Mushahid Hussain in favour of PML-N candidate Saeeduzzaman and bargained with PML-N for future political collaboration, it would have gained much than showing poor performance in the election.
They recalled that the Kings party PML-Q which ruled the country under the tutelage of former President Pervez Musharraf for five long years had relatively performed well in all the four provinces and got more votes than the PML-N though obtained less seats in the February 18 General Elections.
However, they said that PML-Q which owed its emergence and continuity to the "Establishment "after the 2002 general elections, is now in titters with break away factions which sided with PPP or PML-N in the Saturday's Presidential polling.
They said that PML-Q had more than 130 votes in the 702 vote electoral college of the President, but their candidate and party Secretary General Senator Mushahid Hussain could only manage to get 43 votes. PML-Q was totally wiped out in Sindh and Balochistan Assemblies where none of its member voted for the party candidate.
They said though PML-N candidate Saeeduzzaman got 153 votes and lost the Presidential election yet the party succeeded to show its comfortable majority in the Punjab Assembly and proved to its rival and coalition partner PPP beyond any shadow of doubt it could form and run the government without PPP support.
They said that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari owed his success to huge support of MQM, ANP, JUI (F) Fata MNAs and Senators, forward blocks of PML-Q in the national and provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and NWFP and independent members.
On the other hand, Jamaat-i-Islami, and other components of MMA except JUI (F) voted for PML-N candidate Saeeduzzaman, which has brought PML-N and religious as well as some nationalist parties closer.
In an interview PML-N Central Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said that his party accepts the election result but the PPP should also not try to destabilise Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's government as PML-N has proved its majority in the Punjab.
He said that earlier PPP nominated Punjab Governor Salman Taseer and Federal Minister Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo had been trying to dislodge PML-N's provincial government and issuing threats to the party which should be stopped now. About the future political panorama of the country, the political pundit says that PPP, MQM, ANP, JUI (F) BNP, JWP will be on one side while PML-N, APDM (JI. PKMAP, TIP and small nationalist parties) will be on the other side of the divide. They foresee a dark future for the Chaudharys of Gujrat's remaining PML-Q) which would most likely amalgamate in the PML-N.
According to the unofficial result out of 702 Asif Ali Zardari secured 479 votes, of which he got 281 from Parliament, 22 from Punjab, 6 from Sindh, 59 from Balochistan and 56 from NWFP. Justice retired Saeeduzaman Siddique got 153 and Mushahid Hussain got 43 votes.
In the Parliament Zardari secured 281 votes, 111 by former Justice Saeeduzaman and 34 by Mushahid Hussain Sayed, out of 436 total votes, of which ten were declared invalid. Asif Ali Zardari secured 123 in Punjab Assembly, 162 in Sindh Assembly, 107 in NWFP, and 59 in Balochistan Assembly. His rival Saeeduzaman Siddique got 201 votes in Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, 10 from NWFP and 2 from Balochistan Assembly.
Mushahid Hussain got 36 from Punjab Assembly, none from Sindh, 3 from NWFP and 2 from Balochistan Assembly. The PML-N candidate Saeeduzzaman outshone in Punjab Assembly with 201 votes, followed by Asif Ali Zardari securing 123 votes while Mushahid Hussain Syed could muster support of only 36 members.
Zardari bagged 100 percent votes from his native Province's Sindh Assembly; he bagged 162 votes out of 163 cast in the house of 166 with one vote declared invalid. The result was announced by Presiding Officer, Chief Justice Sindh High Court, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali immediately after the counting was over. In the house of 166, not a single vote was cast in favour of any of the other two presidential candidates Mushahid Hussain Sayed and Saeed-uz-Zaman.
Asif Zardari emerged victorious in the Balochistan Assembly by securing 59 out of the 63 votes polled for the presidential election. The other candidates for the post, Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui of PML-N and Mushahid Hussain Sayed of PML-Q got 2 votes each.
The result was announced by the Presiding Officer, Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court Justice Amanullah Yasinzai after counting of votes. Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind and Tariq Hussain Masoori abstained. In the NWFP Assembly, Asif Zardari secured record 107 votes out of a total of 124 votes polled. Saeed-uz-Zaman of PML-N grabbed 10 votes while Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed of PML-Q obtained only three votes. While four votes were declared invalid as it were wrongly marked. Presiding Officer Tariq Pervez, Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court declared the unofficial results after counting of the votes.
Earlier, the voting process was held through a secret ballot by the two chambers of the national parliament, the National Assembly and Senate and the four provincial assemblies. Chief Election Commissioner, former Justice Qazi Muhammad Farooq conducted the proceedings as Returning Officer for election to the Office of the President. At the Parliament House, members from both the Houses, Senate and National Assembly, cast their votes to elect the President, being the Electoral College for Presidential election.
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