Power-sharing: Parties again fail to reach consensus

ISLAMABAD: The coordination committees tasked by two major parties - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - to finalise the possible power-sharing formula, once again failed to reach consensus on Saturday.

The two committees held a third round at the residence of Ishaq Dar and discussed the proposals on the table. However, the PPP continued to show reluctance on joining the federal cabinet in the coalition government and instead, reiterated its support to the PML-N-led allied government.

According to a statement issued after the meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) delegations, a detailed discussion on the proposals given by both sides was held during the meeting.

“A lot of progress was made on the issues,” it maintained, adding that the two sides decided to sit again on Monday for further recommendations to finalise matters. It said that the committee members agreed that a strong democratic government is the guarantee of a stable Pakistan.

The PML-N was represented by Ishaq Dar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan while the PPP delegation was represented by Syed Murad Ali Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Saeed Ghani, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Shuja Khan, and Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar.

It comes at a time when various PML-N leaders including Khawaja Saad Rafique and Javed Latif are asking party leadership to avoid forming the government and instead let the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) make the next government.

Taking to social media platform, X, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the formation of the federal government is the joint responsibility of all the parties in the parliament, not the PML-N. “Independent members supported by PTI should take the initiative, form a joint central government with the PPP,” Rafique said.

He said no political party had a clear-cut majority and the PML-N has no desire to “decorate this crown of thorns on its head”. Javed Latif, another PML-N stalwart, said that he hopes that the PML-N decides that the party, which emerged victorious with the leading number of seats, should be given a chance to form the government.

“The plan to create chaos in the country may fail because of this,” he said. “The day PML-N makes this decision, I will reveal for whom the rigging was done and the mastermind behind February 8 [polls],” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024