After a long and agonizing wait, Tariq Azeem, a close aide of former president Pervaiz Musharraf, has managed to join the PML-N on Thursday. He announced to join the party after a meeting with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind. Azeem is another convincing entry to the PML-N after Marvi Memoon and Amir Muqam. Other heavyweights in line to join the PML-N are General (r) Qayyum, Mumtaz Bhutto and Shaukat Shah. Azeem was the minister for information in Musharraf’s regime and was at the forefront in negotiating with Ghazi Abdur Rasheed in the Lal Masjid issue. After his joining the PML-N, Azeem said PML-N’s politics stood on principles and called PML-Q an opportunist party.
He clarified that he joined the PML-N without any condition or wish for any designation in the party. On this occasion, Nawaz said that party was happy over Azeem’s inclusion and wanted to induct only “clean” politicians. With the change of political dispensation after Musharraf’s era, Azeem remained scuttled with much eagerness to embrace the Sharifs. To find a space in the heart of PML-N president Nawaz Sharif, he aggressively played the card of PML unification.
PML-N Secretary Information Mushahidullah Khan confirmed to Pakistan Today that Azeem had formally joined the PML-N. He said Azeem was knowledgeable, sober and a gentleman who always respected Sharifs in good and bad times. He called Tariq a future asset of the party.
Tariq Azeem joins PML-N
