Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may have assumed control at a critical juncture as the country faces an economic crisis and troubling foreign relations, but his greatest challenge will be on the domestic front governing a diverse coalition.
A fragile alliance of 11 political parties joined hands with the common objective of removing Imran Khan as prime minister. These parties have vested interests but opposing political outlook and different agendas. These parties know well that the alliance will be short-lived and they will contest against one another in the next elections.
It took several days of consultations to finally form a federal cabinet and now Shehbaz will have to court all allied parties while taking key decisions. A rift emerged between several parties, notably the PPP, on whether it should join the federal cabinet knowing well the complexities that lay ahead.
There was reports that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto might be the next foreign minister. It would be unusual to see the head of a large political party taking a cabinet position where he is answerable to the prime minister. The PPP and PML-N have a long history of rivalry and both will need to tread along carefully as coalition partners.
Another coalition ally that needs to be taken care of is PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He wants his piece of the cake after the struggle for Imran’s ouster. The JUI-F chief may not be pleased with a handful of ministries and might be eyeing the highest seat in the country – the presidency. Knowing well that it may not be the case, he has also called for early elections.
The MQM-P, which split from the PTI days ahead of Imran’s ouster, will also be hoping for its fair share. The party knows that federal ministries are temporary and would seek a greater role in Karachi’s affairs after the Local Bodies elections. Not to forget that other parties – BNP, ANP, QWP, etc – will have their own interests, making it tougher for Shehbaz to focus on governance.
It needs to be seen how long the coalition will remain intact or whether it will crumble like a house of sand. The ideal thing would be to bring swift electoral reforms and move towards immediate elections. This is the only way to bring political stability and end this state of turmoil.
