Divided PML-Q seeks guarantees from PPP

He thinks that cases against a son of the former Punjab chief minister had made the Chaudhrys more vulnerable and they may have to go to any extent to save his political career. In case Moonis Elahi is convicted on corruption charges, there will be nobody left in the family of Chaudhrys to take their dynastic politics forward, he argued. “They have to save him at all costs”. He recalled that the first effort to make a PPP-PML (Q) coalition was made by former president Pervez Musharraf. He said the then president had expressed his desire for cooperation between the two parties as the PPP was not feeling comfortable with the PML-N which had joined the setup at the time. Gen Musharraf had also claimed that Mr Asif Ali Zardari, who was only the co-chairperson of the PPP, “is in my pocket”. At a subsequent meeting with the PML-Q leadership, Gen Musharraf had advised Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to step down from their respective party offices to facilitate cooperation between the two parties. This created a gulf between the Chaudhrys and Gen Musharraf.

When Zardari became the president, he and the Chaudhrys treated Gen Musharraf as their common enemy. “Zardari and the Chaudhrys have been in contact with each other for long and the cooperation offer is the logical outcome of these contacts”, said a party leader privy to all developments.

Whether the PML-Q joins the coalition or not, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s move to unite all opposition parties has been effectively thwarted for the time being. The Maulana, who is in Brussels at present to highlight the Kashmir issue, will have to review the situation before working out his party’s future course of action.

The PML-Q and the MQM were among the parties that he assured the Maulana their support when he hosted a dinner for various political leaders at his Islamabad residence.

It may be recalled that earlier the PML-Q had linked its support to the government to a five-point agenda. It included immediate steps to cut prices of essential items; steps to minimize power and gas load shedding; maintaining law and order; bringing back the money of politicians and bureaucrats in foreign banks; and publication of lists of written off loans since 1985.

Nisar Mehdi from Karachi adds: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is unwilling to become the part of federal cabinet despite claim by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that MQM and JUI-F may re-join the federal government.

As per sources, President Asif Zardari has tasked the newly-elected senator Dr Asim Hussain, who is known for his close ties with MQM, to meet MQM Chief Altaf Hussain in London and convince him in this regard. 

“There is consensus in the MQM coordination committee and party legislators not to re-join the federal cabinet and this decision has been conveyed to the MQM’s chief Altaf Hussain for approval”, the sources informed. 

The sources said that MQM will continue its support the ruling PPP in the Federal and Provincial Governments but would not rejoin the Federal Cabinet. The party will continue its policy to support every positive step of the government and would oppose all those decisions which are against the interest of the public.