Allies cry foul as PML-N goes solo to Senate polls

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has completely ignored allies like the PML-Likeminded, Markazi Jamiat Ahle-Hadith Pakistan, the independent bloc of PML-Q senators and the Unification Bloc in the Punjab Assembly in awarding tickets for forthcoming Senate elections, making it clear that the Sharifs still believed in solo flight.
At a time when the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is trying to accommodate its allied parties beyond their strength, the PML-N’s self-conceited policy has also cautioned all those PML-Q MNAs and former parliamentarians who were aspiring to join PML-N ranks.
The PML-N on the other day finalised its candidates for Senate elections on seats of various categories from Punjab.
Contrary to the general perception that anyone from outgoing senators belonging to the PML-Likeminded or independent bloc of PML-Q senators would succeed in winning PML-N’s support for upcoming polls, no one from these two forward blocs of the PML-Q, which have been fully supporting the Sharifs and their policies for the last many months, was considered worth awarding a ticket by the PML-N. Talking to Pakistan Today, Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, chairman of the steering committee and former president of the PML-Likeminded, expressed his profound disappointment over the PML-N’s decision of not accommodating any PML-Likeminded leader for the upcoming Senate election.
“Yes, we had demanded a ticket for Haroon Akhtar Khan who is a capable and dynamic parliamentarian. We had also been given hope by the PML-N leadership in this regard, but it was very unfortunate that the PML-Likeminded was neglected at the eleventh hour by the PML-N,” he said. He said the PPP’s attitude of appeasing smaller political groups against the PML-N’s policy of solo-flight would eventually give political mileage to the PPP and damage PML-N’s reputation.
The PML-N nominated Zafarullah Dhandla from Bhakkar, Rafiq Rajwana from Multan, Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa and M Hamza for contesting Senate election on general seats, while outgoing senator Ishaq Dar will be re-elected against a seat reserved for technocrats.
PML-N MNA and chair of party’s women wing Nuzhat Aamer Sadiq would be contesting against a senate seat reserved for women and incumbent Punjab Finance Minister, Kamran Michael will be the PML-N candidate for the minority seat.
Before the formal announcement by the PML-N about its candidates, there were reports in media that Senator Tariq Azim from the independent bloc of PML-Q senators or Senator Haroon Akhtar from the PML-Likeminded, could get PML-N’s ticket for Senate election. But the official selection of candidates by the PML-N has made it clear that the Sharifs and their comrades had yet not forgotten that the PML-Q men were once associated with Musharraf.
The Independent Bloc of senators surfaced in the PML-Q last year when a group comprising of five senators, including Tariq Azim, Javed Ali Shah, Jamal Leghari, Gulshan Saeed and Naeem Chattha, revolted against the Chaudhrys. They had opposed PML-Q’s alliance with the PPP government and applied for allocation of separate seats on opposition benches. Dr Tahir Ali Javed, parliamentary leader of the PML-Q Unification Bloc in Punjab Assembly, also expressed disappointment over bloc’s unanimous candidate Mian Ijaz Shafi not being nominated by the PML-N.
“We had recommended Mian Ijaz Shafi’s name, an MPA from Rahim Yar Khan, as he has rendered many sacrifices for the PML-N. But I don’t know why was he not awarded a Senate ticket,” he added.
Shafi said, “By not honouring its commitment with allied parties and political groups, the PML-N is fast loosing its credibility. No party will trust them in future.”
He said the Unification Bloc had lent its unconditional support to the Punjab government in the last three years, but it was disappointing that the PML-N only made false promises in exchange.