A shift in balance
Even though last November’s fallout between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its former coalition partner Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) did not prove to be much of a hiccup for the government, the QWP’s addition to the opposition changed the dynamics of the house. The current opposition can now be considered one of the strongest in the assembly’s history and it is baying for PTI’s blood.
QWP’s addition to the opposition has to a certain extent bridged the gap between the numbers of the joint opposition and the ruling tripartite coalition in the provincial assembly. While the strength of PTI and its allies stands at 69 seats, the joint opposition is occupying 54 seats.
PTI remains the largest party in the house with 54 members, followed by its allies Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) with five seats, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) with eight and two independent MPAs who are supporting PTI.
Similarly, the opposition comprises 17 members each from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), 10 from QWP, four from Pakistan Peoples Party, five from Awami National Party and one independent MPA.
This distribution is spelling problems for the PTI-led government with the opposition taking advantage of its numerical strength, further bolstered by years of parliamentary experience that several opposition MPAs have under their belts.
Flexing its muscles
A show of this strength was evident on Thursday, March 6, the last day of the assembly session requisitioned by the opposition. The government was forced by opposition lawmakers to send a question to the house standing committee after the treasury benches failed to convince them with their explanation.
The matter under discussion was the three residences reportedly allotted to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak as per official records submitted in the house. After a flurry of angry speeches mocking PTI’s claims of austerity, opposition MPAs wanted the matter of the multiple houses discussed in detail by the standing committee. When Speaker Asad Qaiser asked for a voice vote, the number of opposition lawmakers who responded exceeded that of the treasury MPAs.
On the same day, opposition lawmakers also managed to pass a resolution as the treasury benches looked on. When Minister for Information Shah Farman left the house in a fit of anger because of this, senior minister Sirajul Haq opposed the resolution. It was then put up for a vote again with the treasury benches opposing it, but a majority of the house was in favour, thus the resolution was passed.
The coalition partners have been facing this predicament for quite some time now. Earlier during the same session, the opposition attempted to challenge the government and send two questions to the relevant standing committees when the attendance of opposition MPAs was higher than treasury bench MPAs.
As the government MPAs looked on helplessly after exhausting their arguments, Adviser to the CM on Food, Qalandar Lodhi, came to their rescue. A seasoned politician from Hazara, Lodhi sensed that the treasury bench was headed for choppy waters. He stood up and agreed with the opposition’s demand.
During the last session, leaders of opposition parties repeatedly ‘reminded’ the government of the thin difference between the numbers of both sides of the house and the possibility of an in-house change. Furthermore, in the course of the session, the AJIP and JI also blamed PTI of not consulting them in the affairs of the province. Both parties were unhappy with PTI’s unilateral decision of calling off the sit-in against Nato supply lines.
Incidentally, reports of an expansion in the provincial cabinet are abuzz after both parties voiced their concerns publically. It is being reported that Minister for Agriculture Shahram Khan will be appointed as a senior minister, another ministry will be awarded to AJIP, while both JI and AJIP will also get a seat for special assistants.
Source/Fuente: http://tribune.com.pk/story/680907/tough-times-ahead-opposition-demonstr...
