Despite the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s many reconciliatory efforts, disgruntled central party leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi looks set to join Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) at its public rally in Karachi on Sunday, December 25.
Unrest ripped through the PML-N camps on Hashmi’s possible departure and tension burgeoned after the enraged leader turned down a visit to Raiwind to meet Nawaz Sharif, repelling restless efforts launched by the party delegation to mollify him at the residence of Khawaja Saad Rafiq on Friday.
However, suspense remained and climaxed as Hashmi, vice president of the PML-N, left Rafiq’s residence without sharing anything with the media about his political future. Later Rafiq ruled out Hashmi leaving the PML-N.
According to sources privy to the development, Hashmi has made up his mind to switch over to Imran Khan’s party. His confirmed ticket to Karachi, where Khan is going to hold a public meeting on December 25, is sufficient to give credence to stark reality, sources added. Hashmi has been continuously criticising the policies of the Sharif brothers since their return to the country from almost a decade in exile, and he expressed his discontentment openly many times. Last ditch efforts intensified on Friday to pacify the disgruntled leader and barricade his step to abandon the PML-N and embrace the PTI. The attempts began after Hashmi attended the 39th death anniversary commemoration of Khawaja Rafiq at Aiwan-e-Iqbal on Friday. Before his speech, party leaders including Rafiq and Khawaja Asif met Hashmi and tried to reconcile. Soon after, an enraged Hashmi concluded his address and sought to leave the gathering but was besieged by party stalwarts who begged him never to part ways with Nawaz. Another attempt resumed at Rafiq’s residence where Hashmi was driven to change his mind. PML-N vanguards including Khawaja Asif, Tehmina Daultana, Rafiq and Zaeem Qadri continued requesting him to remain in the party, hailing his role and services to the PML-N and his personal political acumen.
In a dramatic development, unconfirmed reports said Nawaz’s wife Kalsoom Nawaz also reached Rafiq’s residence without any protocol and joined the full-scale reconciliatory move. However, the PML-N’s efforts were all in vain, as Hashmi avoided entertaining any phone calls.
After the meeting, Rafiq denied any such reconciliatory meeting had taken place. He said that it was a dinner reception where political issues were also discussed. On the occasion, PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said Hashmi was a party asset and people should avoid speculation. The PML-N senator and a close aide of Nawaz Sharif said Hashmi would never think of ditching the party, and would remain with it until the last breath. “In the last meeting with Hashmi, I smelled no rat,” he added. The PML-N information secretary said he had called Hashmi but received no response. “I believe that Hashmi will not leave the party as Nawaz Sharif, being a great admirer, cared for him a lot as compared to anyone else in the party,” he added.
“Logically, it does not suit Hashmi to join the PTI in the presence of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is second to Imran Khan. Qureshi and Hashmi are election rivals in the same constituency, how can both survive under this obvious reality?” he said. However, he also said he sensed something was wrong as Hashmi was not answering the calls of the party leadership.
According to some unconfirmed reports, the PML-N delegation had gone to Hashmi to hash out an exit strategy in order to leave the PML-N with him and join the PTI. Rumours were amok that Rafiq was also ready to embrace the PTI.
A few days earlier, Hashmi had held a meeting with Khan in which matters regarding him joining the PTI were discussed, and sources said a formal announcement was expected in the coming days. Conflicts between Hashmi and the Sharifs first broke to the surface when the former stated in the National Assembly that the Sharif brothers should apologise for accepting exile in Saudi Arabia in exchange for a pardon from former president Pervez Musharraf, and in response he faced scathing criticism from party leaders and – living up to his reputation – handed in his resignation from the PML-N. But Nawaz rejected the resignation, saying there was no parallel to Hashmi’s services to the party. On April 12 2004, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for inciting mutiny in the army, forgery and defamation, by circulating a letter written by military officers calling for an investigation into alleged corruption in the armed forces and criticising Musharraf and his relationship with US President George W Bush.
IMRAN CALLS HASHMI: According to Geo News, PTI chief Imran Khan called Hashmi on the phone late on Friday night to discuss the meeting at Khawaja Saad Rafiq’s house.
Javed Hashmi looks set to join PTI
