Imran’s tussle with army strengthens Shahbaz’s govt
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehrik-e-insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s unending fight with the establishment is the main source of strength for the Shahbaz Sharif government, said a report.
The jailed PTI founder chairman recently said that the Shahbaz Sharif government would not last more than four to five months and believed that the government’s fall would pave the way for his release from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi.
Imran though sets his eye on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to see it happen, ignores how his continuing confrontation with the establishment and PTI’S atacks on the institution of army actually make him the source of strength for the Shahbaz Sharif government.
The PPP is not a part of the federal cabinet but, according to the report, sources said that it has assured complete cooperation to Shahbaz Sharif government in response to geting some top constitutional posts, including that of the President of Pakistan, Senate Chairman, Deputy Speaker National Assembly and two governors.
Some believe that the PPP may even join the cabinet after the Shahbaz Sharif government takes some unpopular decisions and does the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA); there was no such understanding reached between the two sides at the time of the formation of the government. Traditionally the strength of the civil governments in Pakistan is more dependent on government-establishment relationship than anything else. In the past, governments even enjoying two-third majority could not complete tenures because of their troubled relations with the establishment. On the contrary, Shahbaz Sharif-led last Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government with 13 coalition partners successfully sailed through mainly because of the establishment’s complete support.
On the one side, Asif Ali Zardari’s presence in the Presidency is seen by different stakeholders as an assurance for Shahbaz Sharif government and on the other side the top military command in its last corps commanders’ conference offered full support to the new government. In the same meeting, it resolved to bring to justice the planners and atackers of May 9.
The forum reiterated to continue providing full support to the government in combating security threats and upliting the socioeconomic growth in the country including wholehearted assistance in curbing all illegal activities including smuggling, hoarding, electricity thet, implementation of One Document Regime and respectable and safe repatriation of all illegal foreigners, the military said ater the conference.