ISLAMABAD: After a do-or-die fight for Lahore’s NA-122 seat, all eyes are now focused on the election for the office of National Assembly speaker and the opposition parties have started weighing different options for the coming contest.

Background interviews with some leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) suggest that the two parties do not want to leave the field open for a PML-N candidate for the key constitutional office.

The interviews reveal that while the PTI is ready to seek cooperation from the PPP for the election, the latter seems to be reluctant to reach an understanding with the PTI because of its previous role and “uncalled for” criticism against the PPP and its leadership.

Talking to Dawn by telephone from Umerkot in Sindh, PTI leader Arif Alvi said his party was yet to start formal consultations on the election of the speaker. He said the party had not yet decided whether it should go into the election or not.

If the PTI decided to take part in the election to show its symbolic opposition to the government’s candidate, he said, it would like to see a joint candidate of the opposition.

He said formal consultations within the party were expected to begin on Monday (tomorrow).

On the other hand, a senior PPP member, who did not want to be named, said it would be “difficult” for his party to support a PTI candidate for the speaker’s office.

The PPP leader, who is close to the party’s co-chairman Asif Zardari, said that his party had no trust in the PTI because of what he called its U-turns on a number of issues.

“We think the PTI has played an irresponsible role in the national politics and, therefore, its candidate is not suitable for the key office of the NA speaker,” he said.

The PPP leader said the issue would definitely be resolved through negotiations, adding that his party expected the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to contact it to seek cooperation for an unopposed election of the speaker.

The office of the speaker has been lying vacant since Aug 22 when an election tribunal declared the election of the then speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq from Lahore’s National Assembly constituency NA-122 null and void on the petition of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and ordered re-polling in the constituency.

Since then the government kept on delaying National Assembly’s session in anticipation of the victory of Mr Sadiq in the by-election which was held on Oct 11.

Mr Sadiq emerged victorious after a tough contest against the PTI’s Abdul Aleem Khan and is expected to be nominated as the PML-N candidate for the speaker’s office.

According to sources, the government is planning to convene a session of the assembly on Oct 26 to hold election for the speaker’s office.

The PML-N has a comfortable majority of 186 members in the 342-seat National Assembly and does not need support of any other party for the election of the speaker for which its candidate will require a simple majority. With 13 members of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), five of the PML-F, four of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and a couple of independents, the total number of members on the treasury benches comes to over 210.

On the other hand, the opposition has the strength of a little over 100 members with 45 belonging to the PPP, 33 to the PTI and 24 to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the three largest parties on opposition benches. However, the MQM in light of its understanding reached with the government on Friday regarding its complaints against Karachi operation, is likely to support the government.

When contacted, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said PML-N would chalk out a strategy on the speaker’s election after the return of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the US. The prime minister is due to leave for the US on Oct 20 on an official visit and plans to return to the country on Oct 23.

Interestingly, Mr Rashid said the PML-N had not so far nominated Mr Sadiq or any other legislator as its candidate for the speaker’s office.

Asked if PML-N would consult other parties to seek their cooperation for an unopposed election of its candidate as the speaker, he said which party did not want to have its candidate elected unopposed.

PPP’s Farhatullah Babar said he personally believed that the government should not be given a walkover on such an important election. But PPP will take a decision after “due deliberations” within the party.

Published in Dawn, October 18th , 2015

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