ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) is divided on the issue of joining the PPP-led coalition government as party parliamentarians and other leaders have differing political interests.
The Central Working Committee (CWC) of the PML-Q met on Wednesday to formulate a party policy in the backdrop of MQM’s breakaway with the government and agreed not to move a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. “As we lack the required strength to move a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister, the PML-N should come forward and initiate the process. After PML-N’s move, we will decided whether to support the PML-N or not,” PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi said while addressing the party CWC meeting. He said the PML-N would have to expose its real face before the masses.
Referring to the PPP, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said, “I assure my party workers that the PML-Q does not intend to ride a sinking boat.”
But, a central leader of the party told Pakistan Today that the final decision regarding joining the PPP-led coalition government was yet to be taken. “The party lawmakers support the idea of joining the government to launch mega development works in their respective constituencies which will help them win the next elections. But, the party workers and other leaders who are not to contest elections advise party’s central command to stay away from the ‘unpopular’ PPP,” he said.
He said in the PML-Q parliamentary party meeting held on January 4 (Tuesday), the party lawmakers suggested that the time had come to either join the PPP government or mend fences with the PML-N as they were paying a heavy price for political hibernation. Shujaat did not commit that his party would fully support the PML-N’s vote of no-confidence against Gilani and said the PML-Q would take the decision after the PML-N does. He told his party men that their fear that the PPP was using the PML-Q was baseless. Earlier, Senator SM Zafar advised Shujaat that he should categorically state that the PML-Q would fully support the vote of no-confidence motion against the premier moved by the PML-N.
“The future of democracy in the country is at stake if the PPP government stays long,” said Senator SM Zafar, adding that the PML-Q should stage short and long marches against the corruption and also support formation of new provinces in the country. “I ask Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to state categorically that if the PML-N moves a vote of no-confidence motion against the prime minister, the PML-Q will fully support it,” he said.
Brushing aside the perception that the PML-Q parliamentarians in Balochistan had become turncoats, Shujaat said he himself asked them to form a coalition government with the PPP on the intervention of former president Pervez Musharraf who wanted to comfort PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in 2008. “They, Balochistan MPAs, are still party loyal and the PML-Q being the majority party in the province can form government at any time,” he said.
