Analysis: Delay dogs government

Pakistan's new government is in danger of becoming an unruly coalition with delays in calling the new parliament, political analysts and Western diplomats warned yesterday.

The new parliament was last week expected to be called today for its first session for taking oath, before the new house could begin its business. But the decision to delay the gathering in large part was driven by the complications related to a new government, a senior official said yesterday.

"The major difficulty is that while the most favourable outcome could be a government of national consensus, that's much easier said than done," said the official, speaking to Gulf News on condition of anonymity. "Bringing disparate politicians together is not an easy job" he said.

Politicians said, the biggest difficulty ahead for a coalition would be to reach the magic number of 137 of the 272 elected members as the first step towards attaining a majority in the house.

But the largest threefactions – PML-QA, PPPP and the MMA – yesterday appeared to be drawn apart on policy issues, suggesting that uniting them may be an uphill battle.

The MMA's unexpected victory which has placed Pakistan's Islamic groups as the third largest after the PML-QA and the PPPP, has prompted speculation over some of the key ministries that would be sought by religious groups as the price for joining a coalition.

A member of one of the six parties which form the MMA strengthened speculation over the group seeking to influence future official policies towards the media when he said, the alliance may be aiming for portfolios such as information and media development and education if it joins a ruling coalition.

"We would like to influence policy in a way that appeals to our speakers," he said, adding that "reforming television content is an important goal for us".

But Western diplomats warned that a continuously harsh anti-Western message from the new coalition may harm Pakistan's ties with the Western world, at a time when the U.S. is seeking to build consensus surrounding an eventual attack on Iraq.

The significant victory for the MMA has already been received in the West as the consequence of an increasing anti-Western trend in parts of Pakistan.

"The difficulty with a new coalition would be that if its members include the MMA, the anti-Western position would not settle down easily" said one diplomat.

"But if the MMA stays in the opposition, then too it can become a bigger problem for the new coalition. The governments in the Frontier (NWFP) and Balochistan would continue to not cooperate with the centre and making certain there's more uncertainty," he added.