The imperatives of national reconciliation

A history was made when, following February 18 elections, Pakistan's two main political parties, namely Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) formed a broad based coalition at the federal as well as at the provincial levels. It was a move that had no precedent in the 61 year old political history of Pakistan and without parallel in modern South Asian politics. These two parties had bitterly opposed each other in the past and still had divergent outlook on a number of important national issues. Despite that they decided to become partners in governance - a decision, which was hailed both inside and outside the country. Even those political parties, which had opted to stay away from the February 18 elections, pledged their support and prayed for the preservation of the coalition.

The coalition enabled Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to get unanimous vote of confidence from the National Assembly and secured the exit of former President General (retd) Pervez Musharraf under the threat of impeachment. But within a week of the departure of former president, the coalition fell apart; PML-N pulled out of the coalition and has decided to sit on the opposition benches in the parliament. Although this has come as a great disappointment to those who had placed their confidence in the ability of the political parties to jointly meet the serious challenges Pakistan to day faces. However, everything is not lost even after the break-up of the coalition. The imperatives, which propelled these two parties to form a coalition six months ago, are still strong enough to impel them to enter into mutual cooperation for achieving common objectives in the restoration of full democracy, supremacy of parliament and restoration of the 1973 constitution.

Senator Asif Ali Zardari's telephonic call on last Thursday to PML-N Quaid Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Gilani's initiative to hold talks with a central leader of the PML-N, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and the talks between the members of the delegation of the two parties at Punjab House can be taken as a good sign of efforts for building a new structure of cooperation between PPP and PML-N.