The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) anger with its coalition partner – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) – proved a proverbial storm in a teacup, as the annoyance evaporated into thin air in less than 24 hours when party President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, after his “telephonic interaction” with President Asif Ali Zardari, announced that both allies would contest the next elections together.
However, Shujaat’s swift rapprochement with the PPP has annoyed PML-Q parliamentarians and ministers, who had expressed serious reservations over Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s “non-cooperative” attitude in the parliamentary party meeting. Though the press release issued by the PML-Q claimed that the Chaudhrys held a meeting with President Zardari, a source in the Presidency told Pakistan Today that no such meeting took place due to the president’s prior engagements. A source in the PML-Q said the Chaudhrys only met two presidential aides, not the president.
“We were not taken into confidence before the reconciliation with the government … though it was a political gimmick to press the government for accepting PML-Q’s charter of demands, the Chaudhrys’ complete surrender before President Zardari in only one meeting not only spoiled PML-Q’s bargaining position but also exposed the party’s weakness,” a PML-Q minister said. He said the Chaudhrys’ hasty reconciliation with the PPP before the acceptance of the PML-Q’s demands had humiliated all PML-Q ministers and parliamentarians.
“In future, the PPP will neither take the PML-Q’s threats seriously nor fulfil commitments made with us … the Chaudhrys should have learnt a lesson from the MQM,” he added. With the announcement made by Shujaat about the PPP-PML-Q alliance staying intact, speculations of thawing PML-N-PML-Q relations died at one hand, while on the other, the announcement proved that the Q ministers’ resignations on Tuesday was nothing but a political gimmick aimed at securing more benefits from the federal government.
According to the press release issued by Shujaat’s residence, the PML-Q president and Pervaiz Elahi called on President Asif Ali Zardari and he assured them to address their concerns. Shujaat said the alliance between the PPP and the PML-Q would remain intact. “We will contest next elections jointly,” Shujaat said. A PML-Q leader said Zardari had assured the Chaudhrys over telephone and through aides that the government would release development funds for PML-Q lawmakers and the seat adjustment formula between the two allies would also be finalised soon.
“The president also assured the PML-Q leadership that he would direct the PM to remove the ban on jobs in the federal government,” the source said, adding that the president had also assured the Chaudhrys of resolving the issues of PML-Q ministers and advisers in Sindh on a priority basis.
