Disgruntled Legharis may have to revive Millat Party

The power-sharing deal between the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) may push the Legharis to revive the Millat Party, founded by the late Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, as the condition they had set for the PPP government and the Chaudhrys – the formation of a Seraiki province before the PML-Q joins the ruling coalition – is unlikely to be met. The anti-Zardari Legharis have asked the Chaudhrys not to form an alliance with the PPP-led coalition government until the PPP creates a new Seraiki province by getting a constitutional amendment passed by parliament with the support of its allies.
The Legharis’ demand has put the Chaudhrys in a bit of a pickle, because they know that despite the PPP’s support in principle for the creation of a Seraiki province, it is highly unlikely that such a province would be formed within days or weeks, so the condition set for the PPP-PML-Q alliance by the Legharis has also reduced their political options in the coming days. On the other hand, the PPP has formed a sub-committee of its manifesto committee to evolve a strategy and mechanism for the creation of more provinces, including a Seraiki province, but the PPP will have to amend the relevant clause of the constitution, which states that the centre cannot divide a federating unit without getting a resolution passed by the provincial legislature concerned. A PPP central leader,
however, said the party’s top brass was in no hurry. “If the party makes the province now, the people of southern Punjab will forget the favour before the next elections with no political benefit for the PPP… We will continue chanting the slogan till the next elections so that people’s hopes remain alive and attached to the party,” said the leader, who wished to remain unnamed. Punjab MPA Mohsin Khan Leghari told Pakistan Today that if the PML-Q opted to join the ruling coalition before the creation of a Seraiki province, the Leghari family would meet to devise its future political strategy.
He brushed aside chances of a revival of the Millat Party, saying that it was too difficult to launch or run a political party. “Look what happened to the PML Likeminded even though it has billionaires in its folds… Strong organisational structures are required to successfully run parties,” he said.