Sheikh Rashid facing resistance over joining PML-N

Politics is a strange affair where there are no permanent friends and foes, as self-interest, rather than public interest, guides the actions of politicians. As much activity is going on in the political arena of the country with next senate and general elections in the view, the intra-party politics is also gaining momentum. Political observers privy to internal developments in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) strongly believe that once ridiculed and discarded Shaikh Rashid Ahmed is all set to rejoin the PML-N, but facing strong resistance from certain party members particularly the Rawalpindi-based leaders including Hanif Abbasi and Shakeel Awan.
Recent developments on the political front suggest that Sheikh Rashid is dreaming of rejoining the PML-N, and even received a positive response from the party leadership.
But the party’s local leaders seem to have ganged up against him. Several opponents might be the ones who long ago approached Sheikh Rashid for their entry into the PML-N when he was considered a big wig and very close to the party chief. A handful of youth suddenly appeared and started chanting slogans, “Sheikh Rashid na manzoor…Sheikh Rashid na manzoor” (Sheikh Rashid not acceptable), when the legislators and workers of opposition parties were protesting against the government in front of the parliament on October 12. Nawaz had to stop his anti-government and anti-dictator speech to ask the protestors to calm down. Interestingly, nobody had mentioned Sheikh Rashid at the protest rally and political observers are wondering what provoked the youth against Rasheed.
Sources in the PML-N confirmed that Nawaz was showing flexibility on bringing Rashid back into the party folds. They said Nawaz was likely to give a final nod in this regard soon. Rashid’s recent press statements also suggest that he had taken a pro-PML-N line and was not challenging the supremacy of Nawaz. As a politician, Rashid won in 7 out of 9 general elections he contested during his 30-year political career. The two elections he lost were in 2008 after the PML-N abandoned him. He could not secure his seat in the National Assembly (NA) in the 2008 general elections and a by-election despite support from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Apparently voters loyal to the PML-N punished him for ditching Nawaz.
The anxiety on part of Rashid for re-entering the PML-N is understandable but it is not clear what is causing panic in the local PML-N leadership. The PML-N won six out of seven NA seats from the Rawalpindi district in the 2008 polls. The only seat which the PML-N lost was won by the PPP’s Raja Pervez Ashraf. The two constituencies from where Rashid used to contest elections are NA-55 and NA-56. A party source said PML-N leaders Malik Shakeel Awan and Hanif Abbasi were representing the NA-55 and NA-56 respectively in the NA. He said that if Rashid rejoins the PML-N, one of them would have to surrender the constituency for him.
The fear of losing constituency in favour of Rashid has led the two PML-N politicians to resist his re-entry, the source said, adding that some other local leaders of the party were also opposing Rashid’s entry, which would overshadow their prominence. The PML-N has already welcomed several politicians it had declared ‘unwanted’ after they deserted the party to form the PML-Quaid during the regime of General (r) Pervez Musharraf. However, the party leaders say that the Chaudhrys of Gujrat would find no room in the party ranks. After parting ways with the PML-N, Rashid attempted several stunts to win an NA seat from Rawalpindi, but his every move widened the gulf between him and the PML-N leaders. During the 2008 polls, Rashid had announced that he was a great admirer of Benazir Bhutto. In return, the PPP asked its voters to support Rashid during the polls however he still could not secure victory.