Leaders of the Muttahida Muslim League (MML) will contest the next general election from the platform of the unified Muslim League, Senior MML leader Senator Saleem Saifullah told a press conference on Tuesday.
However, he said efforts to forge alliances with other likeminded politicians would continue to form a greater alliance. He said another round of deliberations would be held at the residence of Ijazul Haq in Rawalpindi on June 7, in which the four-party alliance would decide to contact the PML-N and PML-Q only to achieve the objective of ending foreign intervention in the country’s affairs.
Saifullah said leaders of the MML were stood united over the demand for constituting an independent commission on Abbottabad and Mehran base incidents. He accused the PML-Q leadership of betraying the masses by joining the coalition government for a few ministries. The Likeminded group chief said time had come for all political forces should get united to end foreign intervention in order to safeguard the sovereignty of the country.
MML leaders who took part in the meeting that made the decision and the press conference included Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, Humayun Akhtar, Sheikh Rasheed, Ijazul Haq, Senator Gulshan Saeed and Mian Asif. Kasuri said the US should understand that Pakistan could cooperate with them within some limitations, while the government and army could not proceed beyond their limits. He said, “The process of endgame in Afghanistan has begun and the US should not forget to include Pakistan in the process, as Pakistan’s inclusion in the process is vital for the region.”
“Any settlement of the Afghan problem against the wishes of the Afghan people could not only damage the process but also bring a wave of resentment among the Pashtun community living on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line,” he said. Sheikh Rashid of the Awami Muslim League said the people “should take to the streets following examples of Egypt and Yemen if they really want a change, as no major change could take place without their active participation”. He said any other event like the Abbottabad raid and Mehran base attack could push the country to a point of no return.
PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq said it was the need of the hour that the government took the masses into confidence over the developments regarding the Abbotabad and Mehran base incidents. He said the MML demanded the government seek a fresh mandate keeping in view its failure at all fronts. Humayun Akhtar Khan said the current developments in the region could become “game changers”, while “we could change the emerging game in favour of Pakistan if the political forces get united to achieve the goal”.
