Zardari under acute pressure to forge coalition of US, Musharraf’s choice

LAHORE: Through a mix of enticements, incentives, lobbying and bullying, the government is mounting multi-pronged pressure on Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his close associates to forge coalition in Centre with MQM, JUI-F, PML-F, BNP-A, PPP-S, NPP, ANP and Independents distancing themselves from PML-N, say reliable political sources.

Sources privy to political wheeling and dealing told PPI on Saturday that various local and international powerful players were alluring and forcing Zardari and his party's some senior leaders to make coalition government in league with smaller parties if their party at present was somehow unable to move with the PML-Q.

The sources confided that Zardari and his party's some other senior leaders were allegedly being threatened of widespread prosecution inside and outside the country in case they defied coming to terms. They had also been allegedly shown mirror of problems the PPP might face while being in coalition arrangement with PML-N.

Following a renewed appeal of help to the Bush administration by President Musharraf, the sources revealed, the Bush administration had undertaken energetic role for bringing in a Musharraf-friendly government in Islamabad.

The Bush administration, the sources recalled, itself and through its friendly countries' envoys in Islamabad was undertaking hectic efforts to convince and allure the PPP chairman and some senior leaders to accept their counsels for huge benefits and avoid disadvantages otherwise.

The sources said the envoys had calculated for the PPP leadership that by forging alliance with the smaller parties and independents their party's total tally of seats would give them comfortable majority and reach around 60 percent of seats in the National Assembly.

The envoys had also taken the responsibility of convincing all independents and smaller parties to join coalition with the PPP in the centre, the sources added.

The sources revealed that the powerful countries' envoys had also guaranteed a huge financial assistance on behalf of their governments in case the PPP leadership accepted their proposals and made a coalition of their choice.

Meanwhile, the sources said, the foreign envoys had also guaranteed Zardari that all the cases inside and outside of the country against him and other senior party leaders would permanently be withdrawn.

According the sources, the PPP leadership had also been offered a free hand by the government to formulate government in Balochistan if the latter's terms were accepted. In Punjab, the PPP had been offered indirect support of the PML-Q without taking any share in ministries if it agreed to keep the PML-N out of the power game.

The sources said the US administration and its allies considered the PML-N leadership as 'hardliner' and were highly afraid that if they allowed the PPP and the PML-N coalition government in Islamabad their 'interests' might not be safeguarded.

In this connection, the sources said, the powerful local and international quarters had also contacted the senior PPP leaders form Punjab to persuade Zardari to form a coalition of international choice.

The government, the sources revealed, had also contacted a number of friends of Zardari in the US, Gulf, European countries requesting them to convince Zardari to accept the international and Pakistan government's recipe to set up the coalition of the latter's choice.

The sources said the PPP senior leadership had also been assured that the President would restore all the deposed judges, including Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, immediately. The step would help the PPP upcoming government to ease and finish off the pressure from protesting lawyers, APDM parties as well as the PML-N, the sources added.

According to the sources, the government has also assured the PPP leadership that if the forthcoming parliament strikes off the controversial Constitutional Clause 58-B-2, President Musharraf would have no objection.

The sources disclosed that some Middle Eastern countries while jumping into the situation through their envoys had also assured Zardari and his party's some senior leaders of supplying free of cost petroleum products for at least two years along with other big monetary benefits to their upcoming government in case they put in place the government of the US and Musharraf's choice.

The sources said though Zardari and his close aides were still resisting all the above moves but the discussions were continuing within the party to weigh all options. Whether the PPP leadership would succeed in sticking to their earlier stance of making a coalition with the PML-N would be clear within next few days, the sources concluded. - PPI