CHAUDHRY Parvez Elahi’s decision to join the PTI betrays his desperation to stay relevant in Punjab’s rapidly changing political environment. It was not a sudden decision; nor did it have much to do with his expulsion from the PML-Q, a party he helped his cousin Shujaat Hussain form more than two decades ago to provide political crutches to Gen Musharraf. Both the former chief minister and his son Moonis Elahi had dropped enough hints that they were not averse to the idea of merging their group within the PML-Q with PTI to further consolidate their alliance — as ‘advised’ by then army chief Gen Bajwa soon after the vote of no-confidence last year — with Imran Khan. Only time will tell if the decision will pay off and whether the wily politician from Gujrat and his new leader succeed in helping one another achieve their respective political ambitions.

More significantly, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s move underlines the diminishing clout of smaller, family-based parties in provincial politics. Punjab has undergone tremendous demographic and socioeconomic changes triggered by rapid urbanisation and growing access — both to urban and rural demographics — to the internet, during the last one decade. These changes have altered the political landscape across the province, leading to the reduction in the political influence of Punjab’s traditional political families. Being seasoned politicians, the two cousins know only too well that they need the platform, or at least the full backing, of the bigger national parties to win the next elections. While one branch of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat has allied itself with the PTI for its survival, the other led by Shujaat Husain has put all its eggs in the PDM basket and will ultimately be forced to make seat adjustments with the PML-N to win even in the family stronghold. The reality is that the name of the family patriarch, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi, is no longer a guarantee that they will be returned to the assemblies.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2023