Yousaf Raza Gillani’s surprise victory in the Senate election on Wednesday left the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in a state of shock. Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani has dealt a serious political blow to Imran Khan and his ruling party by defeating Prime Minister’s Advisor on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh.
And, this has happened despite all-out efforts of the government to block Yousaf Raza Gillani consensus candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from the race on one pretext or the other. What could have factored in the victory of Gillani and its implications for Prime Minister Khan and his government? Yousaf Raza Gillani has secured additional votes from the ruling coalition, more than the PDM’s numerical strength in the National Assembly.
This ‘infiltration’ into PTI’s ranks by Yousaf Raza Gillani and securing additional winning votes has exposed the chink in the armour of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling coalition.
What could be political motivation for a former prime minister and a key PPP leader as a PDM candidate to run for a Senate seat raises a serious question? The insiders in the PDM say he will soon be a candidate for the chairmanship of the Upper House and therefore poses a serious challenge to the incumbent Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
Yousaf Raza Gillani seems to be a very strong challenger to Sanjrani because of the PDM’s numerical strength of 53 members against 43 of the PTI-led ruling coalition.
The bolstered numbers in the Senate will now provide the opposition parties to deny freedom of action to Prime Minister Khan and his coalition partners to carry out any desired legislation.
In its immediate reaction after the victory of Yousaf Raza Gillani, the PDM leadership has demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down. This is in line with the PDM’s plan to bring about a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan in the National Assembly where he has been pushed to an extremely fragile position after the victory of former PM Gillani.
So, Prime Minister Imran Khan has very high stakes now after this stunning development. It was clear after his announcement to voluntarily opt for a vote of confidence from the National Assembly as Leader of the House. He may succeed in securing the House confidence ahead of the opposition plans to bring about a vote of the no-confidence motion.
However, political observers insist that he would be left fighting a constant battle for political survival for the rest of his term. Some opposition members are of the view that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not be able to sustain because of the internal squabbling in his party and his relationship with the coalition partners. How much it hurts the Prime Minister remains to be seen. They also believed that he may opt for the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies if he sees difficulties to continue his rule.
But this would be the last option he may exercise to seek fresh elections. PTI diehard supporters, on the other hand, insist that Imran Khan would not give up and would make it through to complete his five-year term in the office come what may.
They argue that he is morally an upright leader and is waging a war against corruption for which the people of Pakistan had given him a mandate in the 2018 general elections.
by Maqbool Malik in The Nation, March 04, 2021
https://nation.com.pk/04-Mar-2021/gillani-s-win-to-have-a-political-domino-effect
Gillani’s win to have a political domino effect
Yousaf Raza Gillani’s surprise victory in the Senate election on Wednesday left the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in a state of shock. Former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani has dealt a serious political blow to Imran Khan and his ruling party by defeating Prime Minister’s Advisor on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh.
And, this has happened despite all-out efforts of the government to block Yousaf Raza Gillani consensus candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from the race on one pretext or the other. What could have factored in the victory of Gillani and its implications for Prime Minister Khan and his government? Yousaf Raza Gillani has secured additional votes from the ruling coalition, more than the PDM’s numerical strength in the National Assembly.
This ‘infiltration’ into PTI’s ranks by Yousaf Raza Gillani and securing additional winning votes has exposed the chink in the armour of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling coalition.
What could be political motivation for a former prime minister and a key PPP leader as a PDM candidate to run for a Senate seat raises a serious question? The insiders in the PDM say he will soon be a candidate for the chairmanship of the Upper House and therefore poses a serious challenge to the incumbent Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
Yousaf Raza Gillani seems to be a very strong challenger to Sanjrani because of the PDM’s numerical strength of 53 members against 43 of the PTI-led ruling coalition.
The bolstered numbers in the Senate will now provide the opposition parties to deny freedom of action to Prime Minister Khan and his coalition partners to carry out any desired legislation.
In its immediate reaction after the victory of Yousaf Raza Gillani, the PDM leadership has demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan to step down. This is in line with the PDM’s plan to bring about a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan in the National Assembly where he has been pushed to an extremely fragile position after the victory of former PM Gillani.
So, Prime Minister Imran Khan has very high stakes now after this stunning development. It was clear after his announcement to voluntarily opt for a vote of confidence from the National Assembly as Leader of the House. He may succeed in securing the House confidence ahead of the opposition plans to bring about a vote of the no-confidence motion.
However, political observers insist that he would be left fighting a constant battle for political survival for the rest of his term. Some opposition members are of the view that Prime Minister Imran Khan would not be able to sustain because of the internal squabbling in his party and his relationship with the coalition partners. How much it hurts the Prime Minister remains to be seen. They also believed that he may opt for the dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies if he sees difficulties to continue his rule.
But this would be the last option he may exercise to seek fresh elections. PTI diehard supporters, on the other hand, insist that Imran Khan would not give up and would make it through to complete his five-year term in the office come what may.
They argue that he is morally an upright leader and is waging a war against corruption for which the people of Pakistan had given him a mandate in the 2018 general elections.
by Maqbool Malik in The Nation, March 04, 2021
https://nation.com.pk/04-Mar-2021/gillani-s-win-to-have-a-political-domino-effect
Published in Pak Media comment