ISLAMABAD: Recovering from Monday’s ‘shocking decision’ of an election tribunal which de-seated Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, the ruling PML-N is mulling over possible options to deal with the outcome, according to sources close to the party’s inner sanctum.

While most party leaders are in favour of approaching the Supreme Court, not everyone is in favour of seeking a stay order against the tribunal’s order.

Legal minds of PML-N, the sources said, had been asked to brainstorm best possible legal recourse which the party should adopt, at least to minimise the political fallout of the decision, if not reverse it.

Take a look: I'm being punished for Returning Officers' failure: Saad Rafique

“In my opinion, which of course I will put on the table, the PML-N should challenge the tribunal’s ruling on legal ground in the Supreme Court short of seeking a stay order. Side-by-side the party should get itself ready for re-election as decreed by the judge,” a senior government official involved in the discussion told Dawn. “This way we can question the decision which certainly has a number of legal loopholes, as well as retain moral high ground that the party is not running away from election,” he added.

Mr Rafique, who has returned to his residence in the minister’s enclave in Islamabad, wasn’t available for his remarks.

But his media coordinator Tanvir Hussain said the party leadership was holding discussions on the matter and would soon take a decision whether or not to go to the Supreme Court.

Top PML-N leaders are expected to meet on Wednesday to thrash out a future course of action, another party source privy to the discussions told Dawn. Explaining the divided position within the party over the railways minister’s case, he said one segment was in favour of securing a stay order against the tribunal’s ruling, while the other argued that going for the election and re-winning the NA-125 seat would help quiet the PTI once and for all. Otherwise, the latter quarter contended, the PTI leadership would keep on hitting out at the government as long as the case remained pending.

A PML-N lawmaker, who belongs to the group which is advocating seeking the stay order, told Dawn: “If the Supreme Court allows our appeal for the stay order, what’s wrong in that. Yes, winning the re-election will help the government in a huge way against the PTI, but what about otherwise. A PTI victory will remain as a stigma on our face for the rest of our three years in the government.”

Therefore, he said, as long as a legal battle could be fought against the tribunal’s findings, the party shouldn’t fight shy of it.

The leaders belonging to the group which favours fighting it out on the electoral ground are of the opinion that the recent local bodies’ elections in cantonment boards are strong indication that the PML-N can easily retain the NA-125 seat.

The NA-125 constituency includes the Lahore cantonment, where the PML-N won 15 of the 20 wards.

“Of course, it’s the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who as PML-N president, will decide whether to move the Supreme Court for a stay order or just challenge the tribunal’s decision, but I personally believe that going into the election is the best shot possible,” said a PML-N office-bearer.

Across-the-board, political commentators, too, are of the view that the PML-N must take on the PTI in the re-election if at all the party is interested in achieving high moral ground vis-à-vis PTI on the issue of alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections.

“The PML-N should opt for the election instead of going into appeal because to me it’s in a winning position, as shown by the recent cantonment board elections,” said Professor Dr Rasool Baksh Rais, a political scientist.

Moreover, he said, the government over the past few months had earned respect for improving economy, specifically Saad Rafique, as railway minister, had performed far better than other ministers which he certainly could sell to his constituents.

Losing an appeal in court would damage the PML-N politically, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2015

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