This will be the third time Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has decided to switch his political affiliation since he began his career in politics in 1985.
Qureshi first supported General Ziaul Haq, then became a part of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, and later joined the Pakistan People’s Party. He is now likely to join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. PPP circles are abuzz with the fact that Qureshi has always been a fickle politician. “Qureshi is now expressing chagrin at the PPP’s alliance with the PML-Q, but this didn’t seem to bother him when he was with the PML-Q people for years,” said a PPP leader. Now he has pushed aside his old love for the PPP, even though he was never a stalwart of the Bhuttos’ party. He was just a part of the PPP and now he will comfortably be a part of the PTI, he added.
Qureshi’s father Makhdoom Sajjad Hussain Qureshi had been similarly fickle. He joined Ziaul Haq’s government as Punjab governor and enjoyed the post for years. “The lady doth protest too much,” commented another PPP leader on Qureshi’s resignation from the party as well as his National Assembly seat. Qureshi started his political career in 1985 when he was elected to the Punjab Assembly in the 1985, 1988 and 1990 elections. He was also elected Multan District Council chairman from 1987 to 1991, MNA from 1993 to 1996 and Multan nazim from 2001 to 2002. He served as Punjab finance minister from 1990 to 1993 and minister of state for parliamentary affairs from 1994 to 1996.
