Supporters of the Pakistani People's Party, party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, celebrate in Islamabad

Additional Reporting By Asif Farooqi, IOL Pakistan Correspondent

ISLAMABAD, October 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Political contacts and consultations started almost immediately for government formation following Thursday October 10 general elections. No single party was able to muster enough seats to form a government at the national level.

It was clear by Saturday morning was that only a coalition of like-minded parties can form a government in the center as well as in the majority of the provinces, except one province, where the religious party’s alliance MMAP has got a clear majority.

The most likely alliance is between the Mutahidda Majlis e Amal Pakistan (MMAP) and Pakistan Muslim League(Q). Many analysts believe the Q league could technically form a government with the help of independents and some smaller groups like National Alliance (NA), Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) and others. But this government would be faced with a very strong opposition and would be a very fragile one.

While the indirect elections on the women seats has not taken place yet, 137 members are needed at this time. However, the women seats elections is not expected to change the composition and ratio of the seats in NA.

If Q league tries to form a government, without alliance with MMAP, it still can bag support from at least 25 independents, 13 of MQM, 12 from NA (which is a pro-Musharraf alliance), and 13 other smaller parties which have one or two seats in the NA. But it would be a small majority.

So the best option for the Q league would be to invite MMAP for a coalition government and bring other smaller groups into the ruling alliance so that the only parties left in the opposition are PPPP and PML(N), says Irshad Ahmed Haqqani, a political analyst and editor of Urdu daily Jang.

He said it would be dangerous for the unity of the country if the Q league tried to form a government without MMAP because this party has gained clear support from the public. Therefore they should not be disgruntled and be given a chance to be a part of the government.

On the other hand, MMAP has not expressed any enthusiasm to form government in the center. “It is not necessary that we try to form government. We will try to meet the demands of our voters and for this, we can sit in the opposition and the government” Qazi Hussain Ahmed an important leader of MMAP said.

He said his group would meet in a day or two to discuss the strategy for the post election scenario. To a question, he said the most important thing for his religious alliance, while forming a government, would be that they will form alliance only with a like minded party which will support the election manifesto of the MMAP.

Q league on the other hand vowed to form a government in the center and in the province of Punjab. Chauhdary Pervez Illahi, a central leader of the PML(Q) said it was still too early to speculate with whom we will go into alliance, one thing he said was clear that Q league will form government.

With the defeat of the Q league president Mian Muhammad Azhar, second most important leader Chaudary Shujaat Hussain of the party is now seen as the prime minister in case the Q league is able to form government. Hussain has very good relations with the religious leaders, especially with Qazi Hussain Ahmed. This personal relationship can also help in the coalition negotiations.

Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Islamic leaders and ex-premier Benazir Bhutto saying that the hunt for al-Qaeda in Pakistan's western border areas and its largest city Karachi may be halted after the surprise election sweep by anti-U.S. Islamic parties.

"Taliban and al-Qaeda members are our brothers. Whether it is Osama bin Laden or Mullah Omar, we will not hand over anybody to the US without any proof," declared Munawar Hasan, a leader of the Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of six fundamentalist parties.

With MMA's firm control in the two regions bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan's active role in flushing out fugitive al-Qaeda and Taliban was in doubt.

"The Frontier is very critical because it's on the border of Afghanistan," Bhutto, banned from the polls, told AFP in an interview from London.
"Handing NWFP to the MMA is giving them (extremists) further control, in my view."

The MMA includes the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, which has extremely close links to the Taliban ousted in Afghanistan by the U.S.-led coalition late last year.

The MMA campaigned heavily against Pakistan's role in the U.S.-led efforts, pledging in particular to expel U.S. forces using Pakistani airbases.

Pakistan has arrested 442 al-Qaeda suspects since late last year, 380 of them in the northwest border region plus others in Karachi and the industrial city Faisalabad.

Bhutto called the MMA a "frightening genie" created by the military to win U.S. support.

"Strategically, the military want to hold a red rag up to the West and say 'Look West, you need a military dictatorship, because if there's not, then pro-Taliban parties are going to come to power'."

"The MMA is a frightening scenario because when you create genies, genies get out of hand," Bhutto said.

"What we have seen in the MMA is a genie of frightening proportions."
Hasan said the MMA would also place Pakistan under an Islamic system. "Our government will rule according to the Koran and Sunnah (the sayings of the prophet) and not with the whims of the U.S.," he told reporters. "American policies are based on tyranny."

Bhutto alleged the MMA had been "granted" NWFP.  "I had an inkling, I even said beforehand, that MMA will be granted NWFP, she said, rejecting countrywide results as rigged.

"If the elections were independent, if the vote count and the electoral process were transparent, the MMA would not get more than eight seats in NWFP," she said.

"The MMA should've got eight seats on the basis of anti-American sentiments, but not 30 or more." 

Invasion into Gaza Arafat HQ Destroyed… In Pictures Homeless in Minutes War on Iraq.. World Reaction Palestine: Israel Kills Palestinian, Foiled Attack Targeted Tel Aviv Cafe Palestinian Olive Crop Hit By Israeli Practices: Report Israeli Army Kills Palestinian Woman, Makes Incursion in Gaza Israel Could Use Iraq War to Deport Palestinians to Jordan Iraq: U.N. Security Council Prepares to Fight It Out over U.S. Intentions Regarding Iraq South East Asian Countries Feel A U.S. Attack on Iraq Is Imminent Egypt, Kuwait, Iran, Jordan May Accept "Justified" War on Iraq: Straw Despite Congress Vote, World Opposes War on Iraq Noble Prize Winner Carter Opposes Unilateral U.S. Attack on Iraq U.S. Congress Gives Bush War Authority U.S. Will Occupy Iraq, Impose Military Rule, Control Oil Blasts Rock Indonesian Resort, Foreigners among Victims Hung Parliament in Pakistan, Islamic Alliance Holds Balance of Power Kabul International Airport Closed over Security Alert Controversy over Appointment of New Prime Minister of Nepal Apex Indian Muslim Body Slams U.S., Israel U.S. Congress Calls for Sanctions Against Sudan Government Serial Killer Continues to Terrorize Washington as Latest Shooting Probed Iranian Commander Calls for 100 Million World Militia to Free Palestine Eight dead, 90 injured in Unabated Anti-Falwell Demos in India Taliban Urges Hekmatyar to Unify Against U.S. US Talk Show Host Slammed For Dubbing Muslim Women “Unattractive” British Press: Blair Suffered Humiliation During Moscow Visit Ordinance Banning Religious Conversion In India Stirs Controversy Yesterday's News Search Articles      News Archive : Day: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31     Month: 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12   Year: 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999