PML-N alliance with Musharraf League: Tariq Azeem to meet Nawaz in London
Shahbaz Sharif meeting with Tariq Azeem and SM Zafar
It seems, the Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz and it’s Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif have not learnt a lessons from past experiences.This is a true perception that, the PML-N and it’s leadership always went for their vested interest rather going after Pakistan’s democratic, political, social and economic interests. If we look recent activities of Sharif brothers we come to know that PML-N is at arm’s length from the point where democracy need to be supported with heartiest attitude. Recently Shahbaz Sharif has come out of his skin by expressing his feelings about chairman NAB Justice Deedar Shah.
Mian Nawaz Sharif principally rose to prominence as a staunch proponent of the military government of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq during the 1980s, especially maintaining ties with Lieutenant General Jilani and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Rahimuddin Khan. His political career was further facilitated by the military’s tilt towards his right-wing inclinations; ISI Director-General Hamid Gul having played a substantial role in the formation of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, the conservative political alliance that brought Sharif to power in 1990.. Nawaz Sharif he was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Punjab On April 9, 1985, by General Zia ul Haq and remained one till his appointment as Prime Minister on November 1, 1990 replacing the interim Premier Jatoi.
It was Nawaz Sharif who had invited Hamid Gul in the All Parties Conference where an idea of APDM was floated. They knew that PPP would never sit alomg with JI. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had accused Nawaz Sharif of taking money from Osama bin Laden to oust her from power.
In 1990 the was under the leadership of Hameed Gul. The 1990 elections are widely believed to have been rigged. The Islami Jamhoori Ittehad [IJI] party was a conglomerate formed of nine mainly rightist parties by the ISI under Lt General Hameed Gul to ensure the defeat of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the polls. Gul denies this, claiming that the ISI’s political cell created by Z.A. Bhutto only ‘monitored’ the elections
According to the affidavit, then chief of army staff General (r) Mirza Aslam Baig had advised the intelligence agency in September 1990 that it should give logistic support to the transfer of funds from the business community in Karachi to the IJI during the 1988 election.
According to the written affidavit of July 24, 1994, Lt Gen (r) Durrani said he was informed at the time that the step had the government’s complete support. After the orders, he said he opened a number of accounts in banks in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Quetta.
A man from Karachi named Younas Habib had deposited Rs 140 million in a bank account and the rest of the money was transferred to a special fund.
According to the affidavit, acquired by the TV channel, former caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi received Rs 5 million, former Sindh chief minister Jam Sadiq Rs 5 million, former prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo Rs 2.5 million, Nawaz Sharif Rs 3.5 million, senior politician Pir Pagaro Rs 2 million, the Jamaat-e-Islami Rs 5 million, Mir Afzal Khan Rs 10 million, Abida Hussain Rs 1 million, Lt Gen Rafaqat Rs 5.6 million for managing the media campaign, Humayun Marri Rs 1.5 million, former prime minister Zafarullah Jamali Rs 4 million, Kakar Rs 1 million, Jam Yousaf Rs 0.7 million, Hasil Bizenjo Rs 0.5 million, Nadir Mengal Rs 1 million, Altaf Hussain Qureshi and Mustafa Sadiq Rs 0.5 million, Salahuddin Rs 0.3 million, smaller groups Rs 5.4 million and others received Rs 3.339 million. Daily Times
In an exclusive interview, Khawaja said that Nawaz Sharif had authorised him on the heels of the 2008 presidential election (during a meeting at the Punjab House in Islamabad) to hold talks with the president of the Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his first cousin Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and to see if the two Muslim Leagues could reunite to field a joint presidential candidate of the opposition parties who could defeat Asif Zardari. According to Khawaja, he subsequently held lengthy parleys with Shujaat Hussain. “Although he was quite willing to reunite the two Leagues, his “reunion formula” was the withdrawal of the PML-N’s presidential candidate Justice (retd) Saeeduzamman Siddiqi in favour of the PML-Q’s candidate Syed Mushahid Hussain to pave the way for the grand merger. Shujaat was of the view that Mushahid is a veteran Leaguer and a former close associate of Nawaz Sharif and Mian Sahib should not have a problem in backing a Leaguer in the presidential election instead of a former judge, “especially if he was actually sincere in reuniting the Leagues for a greater cause”, Khawaja said.
Khalid Khawaja said that by the time he met with Shujaat Hussain, Nawaz Sharif had already tasked some senior party leaders, including Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, Zafar Iqbal Jhagra and Ishaq Dar to hold “reunion talks” with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain. “However, their meeting with Shujaat Hussain not only failed but proved simply disastrous and left him extremely annoyed. Shujaat was of the view that the PML-N leaders were stubborn and not sincere in reuniting the Muslim Leagues. They were also over confident and mistaken to believe that they will be able to clinch the support of Maulana Fazalur Rehman and Altaf Hussain, who were already hobnobbing with Asif Zardari. I subsequently held another meeting with Nawaz Sharif and sought his permission to see Shujaat once again. During my second meeting with him, Shujaat again expressed his willingness to join hands with Sharif. However, he kept insisting that the reunion formula should be a decent and honourable one as they were not dying to join hands with the PML-N. Eventually, Shujaat authorized myself and Ejazul Haq to take whatever decision we deemed was appropriate to pave the way for a swift merger of the two Leagues. Shujaat had actually agreed to withdraw his presidential candidate in PML-N’s favour, provided Mian Sahib agreed to visit his place to extend the reunion proposal. I immediately traveled to the Punjab House to finalise the merger deal with Nawaz Sharif. But he acted strangely and told me that he was about to leave for Lahore. As I insisted that it was time to take a decision on the merger issue, his party workers somehow came to know of the issue and started shouting slogans: ‘Mian Sahib won’t go, Mian Sahib won’t go’, thus fizzling out the PML reunion plan”, Khawaja said.
Recent developments in the political sphere indicate that Sharif brothers are once again designing and playing a political game with the help of the establishment and right wing political parties.
According to the Dawn report, Senator Tariq Azeem Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaide (PML-Q) will soon meet Mian Nawaz Sharif in London to take the negotiations for unification between the two factions forward.Earlier on Sunday, he had a ‘fruitful’ meeting with the Punjab chief minister Mian Shahbaz and other senior PML-N leaders at Raiwind, seeking a common ground between the two leagues.Mr. Azeem confirmed to Dawn when asked about the report of his proposed meeting with the PML-N chief in London.Senator Azeem Khan claimed that he had the blessings of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain although in his meeting some hawks on both the sides were hindering his efforts for striking an understanding between the two factions.Mr Azeem told Dawn thatChaudhry Shujaat Hussain wished to have an interaction with Nawaz Sharif for reunification of the two factions.
Related Posts:
Nawaz Sharif’s alliance with Musharraf League: Where are the principles now?
IJI style game plan: phase two
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Latest Comments
It it happened, then once again the prophetic verses will be proved…
@
Pohoochi Wahi Pe Khak, Jahan Ka Khameer Tha…
Posted by WASEEM MEMON on Facebook PPP Fanpage:
Waseem Memon:
I will write down nawaz sharif Dua about this topics.
“lab pe aatii hai duaa ban ke tammanna merii”
ziNdagii aish meN kaT jaaye Khudaaya merii
ho mira kaam zamaane meN, wizaarat karnaa
aisii mansab, aisii kursii ki ibaadat karnaa
gaaliyaaN sun ke bhi dil ho na pareshaaN mera
kisii jalse meN na ho chaak gire_baaN mera
qaum bhookii rahe, naNgii rahe, biimaar rahe
haaN, magar merii sawaarii ko nayii “car” rahe
ho “election” meN hameshaa mira pallaa bhaarii
aour rahe qaum se poshiidaa merii ayyaarii
mere qabze meN sadaa mulk ki jaagiir rahe
qaum ke lab pe faqat, “Naara-e-takbiir” rahe
din LAHORE meN kaTe, raat ho Washington meN
ek din Roos meN ho, doojaa miraa London meN
be-kasoN aour zayiifoN ki ho shaamat har dam
haaN, magar meria bahi CM ho oh Mi PM ho salaamat har dam
ahl-e-daulat ki ataa mujh ko muhabbat kar de
mere maalik merii rag-rag meN siyaasat bhar de
http://tribune.com.pk/story/67479/politics-is-not-exclusive-it-is-inclusive-awan/
Interesting development…
PPP courts PML-Q in bid to derail unification
By Amjad Mahmood
Tuesday, 26 Oct, 2010
Babar Awan and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi addressing a joint press conference.—Online
PAKISTAN
PPP, PML-Q agrees on strengthening democracy
LAHORE: Two bitter political rivals, the PPP and PML-Q, on Monday tried to give a new meaning to the adage, “Politics is the art of the possible”, by expressing intent to “find a way forward through reconciliation in view of the crisis besetting the country”.
The drama unfolded with a visit to the residence of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, by Law Minister Babar Awan. As if this were not enough, the two men addressed a joint press conference in which they dropped hints that the two parties were exploring prospects of forging a “working relationship”.
Political observers interpreted the development as an attempt by the People’s Party to pre-empt the efforts for reunification of all Muslim League factions spearheaded by Pir Pagara.
Pervaiz Elahi, once named as her possible killer by slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto in a letter to Mark Siegel, her lobbyist in Washington, welcomed the Babar Awan-led PPP team, arguing “doors cannot be shut (on opponents) in politics”.
“It is a duty of both the government and the opposition to sit together as equal stakeholders in the democratic system for giving the masses a message of hope about their future as well as democracy,” the minister told the media after the meeting, endorsing his host’s views that all political players should jointly discuss issues facing the people.
He said it was neither the first encounter (with the Q League) nor the last as “the contacts would continue in the future as well”.
A PML-Q leader said representatives of the two parties met to chalk out modalities of cooperation on the agenda already set in principle at a recent meeting with President Asif Zardari in Islamabad.
Underlining the importance of the contacts, he said the meetings could not have taken place without a green signal from the establishment.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had phoned Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Husain two weeks ago after reports that the party was making efforts to reconcile with the Nawaz Sharif-led faction of the League.
In reply to a query, Mr Awan did not rule out electoral cooperation between both the parties.
“The party (PML-N) in whose regime Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was disqualified (to contest the polls) also remained a coalition partner for six months in our federal government,” he said.
The law minister, reacting to an interpretation that by joining hands, both parties were insulting the mandate the voters had given them, asserted that people voted only for those who had ‘positive’ agendas. Otherwise political parties could never have got votes.
“Democracy learns a lesson from the past, but does not go by the past. Democracy is an approach to future.”
Recalling that his party had been cooperating with the government on national issues like the 18th Amendment and terrorism, Mr Elahi said they were ready to sit with everyone “for solving problems of the masses”.
He did nothing to scotch speculations that the Q-League had decided to dissociate itself from the unification process. Pervaiz Elahi said “the deserters” (the Likeminded faction led by Salim Saifullah and Unification Bloc in Punjab Assembly) should first return to their parent party and only then talks of joining hands with other Leaguers could be held.
Chaudhry Shujaat, along with his party’s secretary-general, had recently visited PML-F chief Pir Pagara in Karachi and told the media that unity would be forged among all factions of the League under the leadership of the Pir.
Two senators of the party, S.M. Zafar and Tariq Azeem, had called on Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders in Lahore on Oct 17.
Punjab Law Minister and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah termed the Awan-Elahi meeting an effort of the Q leader to remain alive in the media.
He said “the Lota League formed as per requirement of the establishment will dissolve after serving its utility as some of its members will go with the PPP and the rest will join their mother party (N League) leaving the Chaudhrys alone.”
http://news.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/ppp-courts-pmlq-in-bid-to-derail-unification-600
Nothing wrong in reaching out to PML-Q: Gilani
* PM says govt pursuing policy of reconciliation, will take all political parties along
* Judiciary playing its due role
LAHORE/KARACHI: There is no problem in meeting the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders for the sake of democracy, a private TV channel quoted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as saying on Tuesday.
According to the channel, Gilani said continuing the policy of reconciliation, all parties would be taken onboard on all important matters.
Talking to reporters outside the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi, the premier said that establishing peace in the city was the top priority of the government as a few unfriendly elements were trying to disturb the peace of the city, adding that those who were attacking shrines could not be Pakistanis, the channel reported. He said that everyone acknowledged Karachi as the country’s economic hub and a “mini Pakistan”, adding that everyone should jointly ensure maintenance of peace in the city.
The prime minister also said that so far 1,704 megawatts of electricity had been added to the national grid, while another 1,700MW would be added to it by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, talking to editors and chief executive officers (CEOs) of Sindhi newspapers and TV channels at a meeting at the Sindh Chief Minister’s House, Gilani said the construction of Kalabagh Dam would not be executed without a consensus among all the provinces.
He termed economic stability and maintenance of law and order first and second priorities of the government, adding that the government was pursuing the policy of reconciliation, which was also the vision of former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Gilani said the process of transition from dictatorship to democracy was underway in the country and the state institutions were also passing through an evolutionary phase. He said the country faced different challenges but never deviated from the party’s manifesto.
Judiciary: To a question, the PM said that judiciary was playing its due role. “We respect all institutions,” he added. He also said there was no settlement between the government and the judiciary.
Also on Tuesday, a delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement called on the PM at the Sindh Governor’s House to discuss the situation in Karachi in detail. daily times monitor/staff report
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\27\story_27-10-2010_pg1_1
PML-Q distances from merger move
ISLAMABAD: Although the Chaudhrys of Gujrat were initially agreeable, the Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) kept itself at a distance from the Pir Sahib Pagara led meeting on the merger of the ‘Leagues.’
They set conditions that they would be on board only if those who left them first, came back.
Leaders of various smaller factions of Muslim Leagues met in Karachi on Friday and formed a committee headed by former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to formulate modalities for a united Muslim League.
The move for the merger suffered a major setback by the PML-Q, which though internally fractured, still has noticeable presence in the parliament and Punjab Assembly.
The most dominant among the leagues-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had already declined to become part of any such arrangement, but Pir Pagara is still hopeful that he will succeed in getting the right wing parties under one umbrella-a rare possibility in the given situation.
“We believe that there are only three factions of Muslim Leagues… PML-N, PML-Q and PML-F…we have asked Pir Pagara to ask the leaders of PML-Q break away factions to first come back to the party fold, before moving ahead for any alliance or merger,” said Kamil Ali Aga information secretary of PML-Q. He added that Sheikh Rashid, Ijaz ul Haq, Jamali, Hamid Nasir Chatta and Saleem Saifullah all betrayed the PML-Q and made their own factions.
Interestingly, the PML-Q itself was formed after the merger of splinter groups of different parties, mainly those who parted ways from Nawaz Sharif after the Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf led military coup in 1999.
After the 2008 general elections, the PML-Q was further divided into various smaller factions-mostly one-man-show parties. Only the Pir Pagara led Muslim League Functional and more recently, the broken away “like minded” group of PML-Q have some presence in the national and provincial legislatures — but not significant enough to make any difference — sans taking Chaudhrys’ led PML-Q along.
PML-Q was initially in the loop with the Pagara-led unification effort and Chaudhry Shujaat and Mushahid Hussain had held meetings with Pir Pagara in Karachi. They had also announced that they would support Pagara’s efforts for a united Muslim League and asked him to hold talks with the PML-N.
Some insiders believe that Shujaat played a clever move by approaching Pagro to save his faction from further disintegration amid fears that many of his members might join Musharraf. By this, the politically astute Shujaat tried to give an impression that a bigger alliance of Muslim Leagues was on the cards.
Once Musharraf had his launching of the AML, where he failed to put up any noticeable show, the Chaudhry’s have now decided to adopt a “wait and see” policy. More recently, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party also approached the Q-league for a cooperation at the centre. Punjab-modalities of this collaboration are also yet to be formalised.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2010.
PM Gilani happy with new league alliance
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that the new alliance of Muslim League, Muttahida Muslim League, might be in favor of Pakistan Peoples’ Party.
PM Gilani was addressing the Energy Conference held in Islamabad. He said that the government has completed work on the Charter of Democracy up to 80 percent.
He said that his government will consider opposition’s suggestions in favor of the country.
No need for mid-term elections, says Shujaat
ISLAMABAD: President Pakistan Muslim League Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Wednesday again made it clear that there is no need at all for mid term elections in the country.
While talking to a private TV channel on Wednesday, Chaudhry Shujaat was of the view that country is passing through critical phase and in these circumstances mid term election could be dangerous for the country urging government should complete its tenure of 5 years.
PML-Q President further added that Sharif Brothers could be forgiven if they visit Gujrat.
We can make Govt in Center, Provinces: Shujaat tells Dar
ISLAMABAD: President Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain has requested Pakistan Muslim League (N) leadership to show flexibility for unification of different factions of Muslim League.
Reliable sources informed Online that President PML-Q Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain met with Senator Ishaq Dar in the chamber of Opposition leader in Senate Wasim Sajjad here on Wednesday and discussed issue related to unification of different factions of Muslim League.
The President PML-Q said that Muslim League could establish Governments in Provinces as well as in federation if all factions became united. Mian Nawaz Sharif should show flexible, he said, adding that, third force is taking benefit of differences between PML-N and Q.
He also went on to say that Quaid PML-N Mian Nawaz Sharif should think about the bright future of Muslim League by forgetting the Past. Expressing his views over contact between PML-Q and PPP, Chaudhary Shujaat made it clear that it was informal meeting and had no Political agenda.
During the meeting, Senator Ishaq Dar expressed reservation over meeting between Federal Law Minister Babar Awan and Central PML-Q Chaudhry Pervez Elahi. At one side PML-Q is sending message of reconciliation while on the other side backdoor channel talks between PPP and Q-league unabated, he said.
He told Ch. Shujaat Hussain that PML-Q cannot dissolve Punjab Government. He said if PML-Q is serious in unification of Muslim league factions then its request would be considered.