Archives

ISLAMABAD, Sunday (AFP, Reuters)

Political parties in Pakistan yesterday began weighing their future in the new national assembly, which saw a radical Islamic alliance score big, but gave no single party an absolute majority.

The hung parliament ensures that horsetrading among the various factions jockeying for a role in a future government or in turn might end up in the opposition, is about to begin, analysts said.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), founded only 18 months ago, led the other parties on 78 seats. It was followed by banned ex-premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) with 63 seats.

The surprise success of the six-party Islamic alliance Muttahidda Majlils-e-Amal (MMA, or United Action Front) is what has really changed the political landscape in Pakistan, however.

The MMA took advantage of strong anti-US sentiment, following the bombing of Afghanistan and the US-led war on terror, which many here say is unfairly targeted at Muslims. It increased its share to 45 seats, a ten-fold boost over the last general elections in 1997, when Islamic parties unable to put aside their differences took only four seats in the assembly.

"I would have love to say everything depends on parliament but unfortunately this is no longer the case," political analyst and editor of the Friday Times Najam Sethi told AFP.

"Everything depends on Musharraf. If Musharraf wants a stable government and wants the system to work he must bring back (former prime ministers) Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif."

While Bhutto has called for a fresh election and said the vote count was manipulated, the parliamentary leader of the PPP said the party was keeping its options open on its role in the new parliament.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which emerged as the second largest party in parliament, said on Sunday ideological differences with Islamists would make coalition-building difficult.

"We have ideological differences with the MMA," PPP Secretary General Raza Rabbani told Reuters.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager