DUBAI: Many surprises sprung by the May 11 polls will have grave repercussions for the political spectrum with the PPP confined to Sindh, the ANP facing a split and President Zardari denied his second term in office.

The PML-N sweep across the Punjab, unexpected as it was in numbers, has ensured that Mian Nawaz Sharif will not need any coalition partners, except for the sake of keeping a federal face by including some PML-Functional, Jamaat-e-Islami and JUI-F men in his cabinet.

The PTI, which has done tremendously well for a new party and which could easily become the next government in the KP, will have to perform the role of an effective and vibrant opposition in the new house, as Imran Khan has repeatedly promised.

With men like Javed Hashmi, Sheikh Rashid and Imran Khan himself in the

opposition, it would not be a cakewalk for Mian Nawaz Sharif to run the country except on clean policies conforming to the national interest and not his own party or family.

The elections have thrown the MQM and ANP in a serious political crisis as the MQM will either have to sit in the opposition or take a huge U-turn to support Mian Nawaz Sharif. But the initial message of the MQM chief Altaf Hussain, describing the PML-N as a Punjabi party, does not augur well for the new government-in-waiting.

The repercussions for the ANP are going to be more serious as the party has almost been white-washed and there are credible reports that the Bilours will break away from the Wali Khan family-led party.

Ghulam Ahmed Bilour has already hinted that his party leadership was responsible for the debacle.

On a personal level, the May 11 results have also washed away all chances of President Zardari getting a second term in office. Mian Nawaz Sharif has been reported as saying in private meetings that he would like to see a president from a smaller province and Sindh is out of the running.

Who will then lead the PPP is a big question. At the moment, Faryal Talpur is

the front face but Makhdoon Amin Fahim has also expressed reservations over the manner the party was run by Asif Zardari.

Now that the PPP has lost its political clout, it would also be interesting to see how he is treated by the judiciary and various organisations which carry out accountability, specially NAB, FIA and others.

Once Imran Khan and Sheikh Rashid are in parliament, Mian Nawaz Sharif will be under a lot of pressure to complete the task of accountability that was left in abeyance because of the position President Zardari enjoyed. That situation changed on May 11.

