LAHORE: A Punjab-specific ‘grand’ opposition alliance is gaining currency in the revived moves for putting a strong challenge to the ruling PML-N in its stronghold.

Sources privy to the developments say that besides visible contacts among various political bigwigs, behind-the-scenes communication channels are also open to sort out different issues and obstacles in the way of such an alliance.

All opposition parties are unanimous in forging unity on one-point agenda of “remove Nawaz Sharif” otherwise any such effort would be just waste of time but the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is reluctant to assure its support for the cause for the time being, one of the sources says.

Politicos weigh joint election symbol option in Punjab

Moves to form a ‘grand’ anti-government alliance have been revived with the arrival of Dr Tahirul Qadri from abroad who has offered his and his party’s all-out support only if the parties gather on the one-point agenda, he says.

Besides behind-the-scenes contacts among various opposition parties, PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi contacted the PAT chairman immediately after his arrival while Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid phoned him on Tuesday and is scheduled to visit him on Thursday after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s appearance before the Panama JIT.

Various options are being considered in background contacts of the opposition parties and the most viable seems to be making the alliance Punjab specific, one of the proponents of the alliance says.

Under the option, all the opposition parties will contest election from a single platform and under a joint [election] symbol in Punjab while in other provinces these will be free to make their preferences, he says.

“The PAT chief is ready to compromise his dominant role in such a coalition and is rather assuring [others] that his activists won’t even bring party flags to joint public meetings and rallies of the proposed alliance.”

Requesting not to be named for certain reasons, he says the PPP and the PML-Q are ready to accept any formula for the Punjab-specific alliance as no party holds a major share in the province but the “solo flight tendency” of Imran Khan is creating hurdles as the PTI is not clearing its position.

And without PTI, he admits, it will be fairly difficult to make a dent in the number of seats of the PML-N in Punjab.

In a reference to `undemocratic forces’ allegedly active in the making and breaking of governments, he claims that “more support” can also be mustered if the opposition shows a united front.

PTI senior leader Andleeb Abbas defends her party’s stance arguing “for the time being we’re focused on the working of the Joint Investigation Team on Panama case”.

“We don’t want to put any other option on the table as far as the JIT is seized with the Panama case so that our attention is not diverted from the all-important case in the political history of the country.”

PPP-P senior vice president and former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo confirms that his party is also consulting with other opposition parties to forge an anti-government alliance.

A meaningful movement against the PML-N can only be launched if all opposition parties get together on a single platform, he says.

Highlighting the importance of the opposition unity, another leader recalls that the popularity graph of the PPP was brought down in Punjab back in 1988 and 1990 when all opposition parties had assembled under the umbrella of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI).

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2017