The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Thursday failed to get other opposition parties, the MQM, JUI-F and JI, on board for on its plan of lashing out at the PML-Q leadership over the NICL scam.
The PML-N leaders, including Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Khwaja Asif, Raja Zafarul Haq, Khwaja Saad Rafique and others met JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and an MQM delegation, but failed to convince them to come down hard on the Chaudhrys for Moonis Elahi’s involvement in the NICL scam and the government’s refusal to reinstate additional FIA DG to lead the probe in to the muti-billion scam on Supreme Court orders.
Sources in the MQM and JUI-F said both parties were asked by the PML-N to come hard on the Chaudhrys for their alleged involvement in the scam, but both parties refused to act on the PML-N’s request, as they had already promised Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that they would never raise the NICL issue in parliament.
No parliamentarian from the MQM, JUI-F or any other opposition party mentioned the NICL scam and government’s refusal to reinstate FIA Additional DG Zafar Qureshi in both houses of parliament and they kept their focus on the violence in Karachi and the AJK elections. On the other hand, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain told his parliamentary party meeting that the arrogant approach of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had isolated the party. “No political party is ready to go the PML-N’s way despite their leaders hectic efforts,” Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said. The PML-Q leaders asked the Sharifs to first get them cleared in the Hudaibia Paper Mills money laundering and bank default cases before pointing fingers.
They said the Sharifs had to pay loans worth Rs 5 billion to various banks.
The MQM delegation of Haider Abbas Rizvi, Khush Bakht Shujaat and others also JUI-F’s Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri in his chamber and assured him of the party’s support in the ongoing tussle for the Senate opposition leader’s slot in the Upper House, sources said. In its separate parliamentary party meeting, the PML-N expressed concern over the killings in Karachi and decided to raise the issue at every forum in unison with the MQM.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the meeting, which was also attended by independent bloc of opposition senators, expressed concern over the energy crisis, financial crisis of the Pakistan Railways, KESC issue, raise in electricity tariff, rigging in the AJK election, arrest of Ghulam Nabi Fai, and the irresponsible and premature statement by a member of the Abbottabad commission.
