In a bid to save the Pakistan People’s Party-Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid alliance, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday assured PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to thrash out a formula to allow extraordinary development funds to the PML-Q lawmakers to enable them win the upcoming general election.
Moreover, Shujaat also discussed the Balochistan issue with Ashraf, which according to him, was slipping “out of hands” of the federal government due to non-serious approach of the regime. During a detailed meeting, sources said Shujaat said that the Balochistan issue was a major source of concern for him as things were deteriorating in the conflict-hit province.
“Shujaat also raised the victimization of his party MPA Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, as Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani was targeting Rind and his family members,” the source said. He said the prime minister issued several orders to remove the reservations of the PML-Q leadership about commitments not materialized. A source privy to the details informed Pakistan Today that the Chaudhry brothers welcomed the reconciliatory statement by Water and Power Minister Ahmed Mukhtar. They also conveyed to the prime minister that promises made to their party members should be materialized to avoid controversies.
“The PML-Q leaders also affirmed their support for the PM vis-à-vis his court appearance on August 27 and said the PPP-PML-Q alliance would stay intact irrespective of the court verdict,” the source added. He quoted Shujaat as advising the prime minister not to humiliate and defy the judgments of the top court of the country and that the executive-judiciary row might jeopardize the democratic course.
The source said the PM assured the Chaudhrys that no confrontational path would be adopted against the court and the government wanted reconciliation with all institutions. The source said Ashraf also assured Shujaat that delegations of both parties would soon meet to discuss seat-adjustment between both allied parties, so as misunderstandings between the leaders of the two parties could be averted.
The Chaudhrys had passed on a strong message to the prime minister during their last meeting held in Lahore after 16 PML-Q ministers had submitted resignations with Shujaat. “The Q leaguers were angry over unnecessary delays in issuance of grants for development schemes in their respective areas. Moreover, Chaudhry Shujaat was also angry over statement of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar,” The source said the meeting remained positive and Chaudhrys looked optimistic.
