The PML-N, with the joining of Tariq Azeem once a blue eyed of President Musharraf for his connections with Lebanese leadership through his pilot brother Shujaat Azeem, has most of the former PML-Q leaders in its fold who owed their political ascendancy to President Musharraf and his cronies.
The League sources believe that the key factor that tempted the Sharifs to allow Tariq Azeem to join the PML-N is his ‘international connections’ through his brother Shujaat Azeem who is well-entrenched in the Lebanese ruling family, being a pilot of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Shujaat Azeem also played a key role in the deal between Sharifs and Pervez Musharraf with the close involvement of Arab leaders. According to some reports, the late Hariri was brother-in-law of Saudi King Abdullah who harboured the exiled Nawaz during Musharraf’s tenure. Furthermore, Shujaat Azeem is being accused by the PPP leadership of having close relations with Mansoor Ijaz, the central player in the Memogate scandal.
Whether it is Marvi Memon who was with Musharraf from day one or Ameer Muqam who defected to the PML-N recently or Akhtar brothers and Kashmala Tariq who are looking forward to closing ranks with the PML-N in the coming days, all are known as members of Pervez Musharraf group in the PML-Q in its heyday.
They were not comfortable with the leadership of Chaudhrys and used to take orders directly from Musharraf or military men. As such Chaudhrys have no regret to see the back of these leaders closing ranks with either the PTI or the PML-N with approaching general elections. Interestingly, now most of them are becoming part of the PML-N one after the other despite Sharifs’ contempt for Musharraf and his military rule.
Most of these new entrants hardly brought any political capital to the PML-N. Most of them have no constituency of their own or political background like majority of the leaders who left either the PML-N or the PPP to form the PML-Q.
A political analyst said that the PML-Q had two types of leaders under Musharraf: one that had the backing of President Musharraf and his close confidants like Tariq Aziz or General Hamid and the other type consisted of those who left different parties, including the PML-N and the PPP, to create the PML-Q with strong political credentials. It is interesting to note that the political families or the leaders that were with Musharraf have not so far joined the PML-N. Perhaps, they are being shunned by Sharifs since the party’s open-door policy.
