— Asif Zardari seeks top constitutional slots
— Bilawal yet to decide on a cabinet berth as party stands divided
ISLAMABAD: After collectively ousting the PTI government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif faces a tough test as most critical phase of agreeing to power sharing formula among the ruling coalition has commenced.
Sources in the ruling coalition have revealed that the premier was set to meet the leadership of his own party on Tuesday night to help thrash a power sharing formula.
Per sources, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the second biggest party after the PML-N in the current coalition, has linked its joining the cabinet with a lion’s share in the new setup, asking for four key positions. This was conveyed by the top PPP leadership to PML (N) delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during talks held here on Monday.
According to sources within PPP, Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has demanded the positions of the President, Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly and the Leader of House in the Senate.
“Asif Ali Zardari is not interested to become President as he wants to assist Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the next election campaign. Therefore, he has floated the name of Faryal Talpur for the top seat”, the sources said, adding that the party wants Yousaf Raza Gilani to become Chairman Senate, Sherry Rehman as the leader of the house in the Senate and Naveed Qamar or Raja Parvez Ashraf the speaker of National Assembly.
The sources said that the top PPP leadership made it clear during talks with the PML-N delegation that they will only accept ministries or become part of the cabinet if their demands was met.
“As far as ministries are concerned, the PPP wants amongst others the ministries of Water and Power, Law, and Overseas Pakistanis”.
The sources said that the PPP is committed to fully back the new government and even if their demands were not met, they will continue to extend unconditional support to it in order to carry out some important legislation especially on electoral reforms.
When asked about the response of the PML-N about PPP’s demands, the sources said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sought time on the matter for consultations with the party Quaid Nawaz Sharif.
“Shehbaz Sharif will again contact us and give his response after consultations with the elder brother.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is also divided on the issue of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s joining the federal cabinet as the country’s new foreign minister in the coalition government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Background interviews with several party leaders confirmed the reports in some media circles that the PPP chairman might become the foreign minister, though in-house consultation on the matter was still ongoing.
There are two camps in the PPP. One believes Mr Bilawal Zardari should go for the foreign ministry slot, as it would provide him with an experience of handling international affairs and ultimately benefit him if he becomes the country’s prime minister in future.
Members of the other camp, however, thinks the PPP chairman should not become a part of the federal cabinet under Mr Sharif, as it would undermine his status of being the head of the second-largest party in the ruling coalition. This camp also believes PPP workers may not like to see their chairman working under the prime minister of the PML-N — PPP’s main competitor in politics.
One camp believes the role will benefit him as future PM; others say working under Shehbaz may not sit well with party workers
“I have advised my chairman to become the country’s foreign minister,” said a senior PPP parliamentarian close to Mr Bilawal Zardari said.
He elaborated that 64 per cent of the country’s population comprised people below the age of 30 years, and Mr Bilawal was a representative of the youth. Moreover, he said, Bilawal had immense goodwill in the world due to his mother, Benazir Bhutto, which would help him in dealing with international issues with world leaders.
“This could help him create a good following among those people who had not seen former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and it would ultimately benefit the PPP in future,” the party leader said.
He said Mr Bilawal Zardari’s experience as the foreign minister would strengthen his case of becoming a candidate for the premier. However, he said there had been no formal discussion on the matter and a decision would be made in a day or two.
On the other hand, a senior PPP leader from the second camp insisted that Mr Bilawal Zardari should not get any cabinet portfolio because then he would not be able to pay attention to party affairs and, as a result, the PPP could suffer in the next general elections.
Interestingly, the outgoing foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his speech on the floor of the National Assembly also advised the young PPP chairman not to become the foreign minister under Mr Sharif.
Mr Qureshi, who also served as the foreign minister during the previous PPP government under former president Asif Ali Zardari, said it did not suit the young Zardari, the grandson of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the son of Benazir Bhutto, to accept the foreign ministry under Shehbaz Sharif because the PPP workers would not accept this.
Meanwhile, sources in the new administration stated that so far they had not worked out any formula for distributing portfolios in the federal cabinet and nominations for key constitutional posts of the speaker and the deputy speaker.
A senior PPP leader said they were more interested in getting constitutional offices instead of portfolios in the federal cabinet. He said two constitutional offices had already become vacant after the resignation of the speaker and the deputy speaker. He said the opposition was also planning to remove Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and then definitely the PPP would like to get the top Senate office.
According to him, the office of the president could also become vacant either because of the resignation of President Dr Arif Alvi or through his planned impeachment.
The PPP leader then, in a lighter vein, said they feared that JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman could also demand the office of the president. In that situation, he said, it would become very difficult for the PPP to accept the Maulana as the president, which might not be beneficial for the country as well.
The sources said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would give the ministries after consultations with top government leaders, including Asif Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the heads of other coalition partners, in a day or two.
