AFTER the apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela formed a commission to end enmity between the white and black South Africans. He tried to reform the society on the basis of national cooperation and mutual understanding. Pakistan, too, tried to adopt this method of national reconciliation, but it could not move beyond the procedural measures. It was the slain former prime minister and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) suprem Benazir Bhutto who took the first step to offer a hand of friendship to her political rival and president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Shrif when the latter was hobnobbing with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan. But after Benazir's assassination when her widower Asif Ali Zardari became the co-chairman of the party, the short honeymoon was over. The groom – PPP – has already got many wives and likes to change its political brides every now and then. Actually, give and take are necessary elements in a political marriage of convenience. But the bride – PML-N – did not understand the demands of her groom, resulting in a divorce. The first divorce occurred when PML-N quit the Cabinet and the next divorce happened very soon after Zaradari's nominee Salman Taseer took oath as the 27th Governor of Punjab succeeding Lt. Gen (Retd) Khalid Maqbool. Controversial Salman Taseer's appointment as the governor of Punjab has put the proverbial last nail in the coffin of PPP-PML-N coalition. Sharif Brothers have been single-handedly ruling the Punjab province. Taseer once attempted to oust Nawaz Sharif in early 90s, but failed miserably. This time he is there once again to accomplish that uncompleted task. He has already started to mediate between the PML-Q and its separated members to bring them together. While PML-N members kept away from Taseer's oath-taking ceremony, many Q-leaguers were there. Taseer is an educated man, a chartered accountant from England and Wales. He has been actively involved in establishing companies in the financial services and telecommunications sectors. He has considerable amount of specialization in mergers and acquisitions, flotations, investment banking and stock market analysis and also delivered presentations on various financial issues. He has also been an author of a number of articles on investment and financial subjects. He has also written a political biography of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Procedurally, the views of provinces and political parties are not sought for the appointment of a governor as he represents federal authority. His appointment is made by the president in consultation with the prime minister. Zardari would need the clout, office and money of Taseer to affect the PML-N position in Punjab. Taseer's resume is extremely impressive and illustrious, but more important is his political affiliation. He has served as a federal minister earlier for PPP. Lately, he was ducted as the minister for industries in the caretaker setup under former prime minister Muhammad Mian Soomro. Thus, Taseer is associated with the PPP and also has links with President Musharraf. He is said to be a close friend of both President Musharraf and Zardari. Certainly, the presence of a pro-PPP and pro-Musharraf governor in Punjab is an alarming situation for PML-N. PPP doesn't want to give free hand to the PML-N and hence the battle has started. With Taseer as the new governor of Punjab and the presence of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in Lahore with Rehman Malik as his core advisor, it is no secret that Zardari wants to control Punjab and have Lahore as his operating base. He has hinted that he would spend much time in the governor house in Punjab. Taseer himself admitted that “he wants to make Punjab a Larkana,” which clearly means that he wants to strengthen PPP in Punjab. He is likely to see that PPP gets the required numbers in the Punjab Assembly. It seems that he is there to give PML-N the worst nightmares possible. The establishment is amused at these happenings. Actually, Zardari has been convinced by the establishment and his own party members that PPP cannot rule in Pakistan without the US help. His moves are as clear as crystal. While he was playing the game of mutual understanding and political reconciliation, he clandestinely forced PML-N to quit the coalition. He now wants to take over the Punjab province. This province historically decides the dynamics of politics in Pakistan and has always remained the source of power in Pakistan. PPP knows that Punjab rules Pakistan. PML-N, which rules Punjab, has left the federal government. There is every chance that the proceedings in Punjab won't be too enjoyable for the PPP and it becomes necessary for the party to keep a check on the PML-N's government in Punjab. Indeed, in the near future, overly aggressive PML-N will either quit the Punjab government on its own or will be forced to do so. And when that happens, PPP will already be having its man in command. Knowing the fact, PML-N is also not much caring about its government in Punjab. Basically, PML-N is preparing for the next general elections, which it thinks are not to far-off. The entire act is an exact opposite of what both the party leaders expressed in the media. Zardari has played down the rift that has emerged between his faction and its major ally. He has started once again the sneaky and hush-hush game of one-upmanship in Punjab. Although his forked tongue is telling PML-N that he would not touch its government in Punjab, whereas his actions say a different story. He is geared up to take PML-N government in Punjab face-to-face. Zardari knows that the idea of mutual understanding would never work with each and every political party as Pakistan has not been blessed with such a personality as Nelson Mandela. He used the idea of mutual understanding and reconciliation to dodge his political rivals. A new round of twitchy politics is going to start in the populous province of Punjab, and that would be bad for the already suffering nation. __
