Former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart and foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi kept the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership guessing about his future plans as he met PML-N President Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind on Tuesday.
It was expected that Qureshi would announce that he is joining the PML-N at the much-hyped meeting, but the meeting seemed to have been inconclusive in this regard. Recently Nawaz had expressed the desire to meet Qureshi after the latter had given positive signs vis-à-vis joining the PML-N. Political analysts believe Qureshi will take some time before putting his cards on the table. They said right now, Qureshi was trying to forge a better deal with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and the PML-N, and for now keeping all his options open. Qureshi held an over two-hour long meeting with Nawaz at Raiwind, yet no announcement came from him about joining the PML-N. Qureshi also held a one-on-one meeting with Nawaz, which was later joined by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and National Assembly Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
The PML-N chief and Qureshi exchanged views on various issues, and Qureshi reportedly expressed conformity with the viewpoint of the PML-N and supported them, yet he made no announcement to join the party. Later, while talking to reporters, he avoided replying to questions regarding his future political association and said instead that he would make an announcement regarding his political future at the Ghotki public meeting. However, he supported the stand of the PML-N that the assemblies had lost their effectiveness and being part of them was useless.
On the other hand, PML-N sources claimed that Qureshi was attempting to get a lucrative offer for his group of PPP dissidents, who have assured him of their full support. They said even though the PML-N leadership had expressed willingness to have Qureshi and his followers become part of the PML-N, they refrained from showing an extraordinary desire for him to join the party. Meanwhile, PPP sources said the ruling party would suffer no fallout if Qureshi joined the PML-N or the PTI, but if he formed a group of dissidents within the PPP ranks, it would spell trouble for the PPP. Those close to Qureshi claim he is working on various options, including joining the PML-N or the PTI, but prefers to establish an independent stature in southern Punjab with the help of his PPP followers.
After meeting Nawaz, Qureshi leaves ‘N’ guessing
