Once again Pakistan has been given the opportunity to go down the road to democracy and solve all its problems as best it can.

Currently there is a lot of hullabaloo about forming the governments at the Centre and in the provinces. Many different combinations are being suggested but one would think that the first step towards democracy would be to let the party that has secured the highest number of seats in the Centre and in the provinces be allowed to set up its government or coalition governments.

It is heartening to note that all parties, likely to be in government or in opposition have vowed to support the government, any government, on national issues and only to indulge in constructive rather than obstructive criticism as seen in the past. But it is essential for the incoming government to take steps democratically from the very beginning.

However, from the events unfolding on the political scene, it appears that the Pakistan Peoples People Party which has NOT secured the largest number of seats in the Balochistan provincial assembly is hobnobbing with other smaller parties for cobbling up a majority for the provincial assembly.

In the Balochistan assembly, the Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Q, which has openly and often reiterated that it will play the role of a very democratic opposition, has obtained the largest number of seats i.e. 17 as against the PPP’s seven.

Therefore, the democratic thing to do for the PPP, even if it has obtained the largest number of seats in the national assembly, would be to let the PML-Q form the provincial Balochistan government coalition.

As against this proposal, the PPP has been citing the case of Sindh in the 2002 elections when it had obtained the largest number of seats in the province but a coalition majority comprising of MQM , PML-Q and other smaller parties had been allowed to form the government.

What happens in actuality is anybody’s guess but if any friction is created on this point then it will be very unfortunate.

Actually, at that time in the year 2002 after the elections, , Chaudhry Shujaat, the president of PML-Q had openly invited Makhdoom Amin Fahim who was then incharge of the PPP in the absence of Benazir Bhutto, the party life-chairperson, who was in self exile to escape arrest due to court cases against her to form the government minus Benazir but Makhdoom Amin Fahim on the advice of the late Benazir had rejected the offer and this was reported openly in the press. It was thereafter that the PML-Q had cobbled up its coalition.

But however that may be, that was in the past and now it is an era of reconciliation. Despite the political rhetoric, we must not lose sight of the fact that Benazir and even Nawaz Sharif have returned to Pakistan due to the NRO or the National Reconciliation Ordinance promulgated by President, then also General, Musharraf!

Therefore, trying to cobble up a majority by bringing all the smaller parties together when a party which has secured the largest number of seats in the provincial assembly, is the third largest party in the national assembly, and is represented in all the assemblies of the country and which has openly vowed to play a very democratic opposition’s role in the national assembly, would be problematical from the very beginning and is likely to have adverse repercussions on national politics.

Also from the statements of PPP stalwarts and their talk on the national TV Channels, it appears that the future of district governments or district Nazims is in the doldrums. This again is not a good omen for the ruling party and can have adverse political repercussions.

Nevertheless, it is up to the PPP to decide what is democratic or not but it will be up to the people of Pakistan and the newly unleashed media channels to judge whether they are right.

At this stage one can only warn them as a well wisher. The new government already has its plate full of pressing problems, one would wish for them to take steps where they can get all the support that could be possible.

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Tags: Coalition Government, Democracy, Elections, Government, PML (Q), PPP