Pakistan

PML-N looks to unite parties on anti-govt platform

Party leaders say Punjab CM will soon establish ‘direct contact’ with MQM hierarchy.

Zia Khan June 30, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

Preparing to create a grand opposition alliance, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif is looking to gather all political parties hostile towards the government, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), on a “minimum agenda”: to overthrow the current setup, his associates said.

At least two top leaders of the PML-N told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would soon establish ‘direct contact’ with the MQM hierarchy, including its London-based chief, Altaf Hussain. They did not, however, specify when or how any such contact would be established.

Simultaneously, some other associates of Sharif had been tasked to approach the rightwing opponents of President Asif Ali Zardari’s government, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Both the MQM and the JUI-F walked away from an alliance with the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Officials in the PML-N said the decision to go all out to dislodge the government was taken during a recent meeting of top party leaders in Lahore chaired by Nawaz Sharif.

They added that the resignation by MQM members from both federal and provincial cabinets to join the opposition had lured the PML-N into thinking that it might be the right time for gathering their support against the government.

“We believe it is the best time to go in for a kill … it looks like the iron is hot and now is the time that we can hit it as hard as possible,” said a PML-N official, who attended the meeting.

A spokesperson of the party also confirmed that the PML-N was looking forward to working with the MQM as a more “coordinated opposition” and both groups could explore “common ground” against the government.

However, MNA Ahsan Iqbal denied that a high level contact was being established with the MQM or that the PML-N was hoping for a formal alliance with the party.

“We are not strangers to each other … we know each other and have been maintaining a shared stance on various issues recently and I think we can work together in the future. But this does not necessarily mean we can become partners,” Iqbal said.

He added that the alleged rigging in the recent Kashmir elections, unbridled corruption in government departments and the poor rule of law were the issues that could bring the two groups together.

A close associate of Sharif, Zulfikar Khosa, also told the media in Lahore that there were prospects of the PML-N and the MQM working together in the days to come.

According to officials, the PML-N chief had barred his party leaders from issuing hostile statements against the MQM and Altaf Hussain, an issue that has been keeping both parties away from each other in recent years.

According to the plans, the PML-N would hit the streets with its campaign to dislodge the government immediately after the month of Ramadan that ends early September.

Before that, Iqbal said, the group would complete its lingering reorganisation campaign by the end of next month.

The Express Tribune tried to seek comments from a few MQM leaders but none of them was available.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (21)

Mark | 12 years ago | Reply I'm not going to give an opinion on any of the groups. I don't know enough about their history to do so. But, I will say that people should be skeptical of the revolutionary-sounding claims. Not in the sense of right or wrong. But, in the sense that just about anyone can come to that conclusion. The hard part is finding someone who can pull it off gracefully, if at all. If you don't have the right people, you will have a lot more dead people and an even worse economy as it will sit in the state of perpetual chaos that will exist in its wake for far too long rather than intervening and pulling the country through it and out of it fast enough for a new form of stability to take hold.

Mirza | 12 years ago | Reply For some who are thinking of bringing the PML-Q back into the Nawaz party, there may be a shock waiting for them? Let me make it crystal clear that I have no party affiliation except Democratic Party in the US; they are lesser of the two evils. As a Pakistani by birth I am very close to Pakistani people and their plight and lack of civic facilities, illiteracy, disease, hunger, fanaticism and other social evils. I am a supporter of democracy in Pakistan, irrespective of who is in power. Nations are not made in a few years, it takes decades and centuries. Once there would be several consecutive elections, dirt would be sieved out and better people would emerge. I have full faith in Pakistani people that they are intelligent and second to none. When India can make progress with all the poverty and overpopulation Pakistan can do better as well. The fact that Bangladesh which was most densely populated province of Pakistan and had lower per capita income than West Pakistan, is a peaceful democracy and making progress after liberation, why cannot we? This is my motivating factor and Quaid’s dream as well, to see Pakistan a liberal, secular democracy with equality and progress. There is nothing un-Islamic or anti-Pakistan in this. .

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Sameer | 12 years ago | Reply I would much rather hear: "__ party creates unity to be anti-terrorist and get rid of all of the filth in Pakistan"

Ali Turk | 12 years ago | Reply Let us objectively look at the situation: The present Government has miserably failed. There is bad governance, reports of massive corruption, bad economic policy has lead to ruination and made life of common person miserable.There is power shortages, law and order situation is hopeless. This government has to be removed. Democracy does not mean you are stuck with a bad choice for ever if those who got voted into power have failed to deliver on their manifesto.

grinz09 | 12 years ago | Reply @Khan: He may desperately need the MQM to form a Govt in future. So he'll have to appease them.

The patriot | 12 years ago | Reply @ Mirza , looks like someone has put his feet on your tail ..........you sound like a JIALA then an educated man blogging

Khan | 12 years ago | Reply @Salman Orangiwala: Either you hibernating in 1990s or were still a kid during that era ... We do live abroad but we have more idea than you can have as seen from your naive comments. We have seen PPP governments at least from 1988 if not before and we do know about their mismanagement, corruption, and always wasting time on digging old problems and making issues out of nothing, double digit inflation is their hallmark. But that doesn't mean we should support NS aka Amir-ul-momineen again who had no regard for judiciary or opposition parliamentarians (rem dragging them out for NA by force) Also apart from Motorway he hasn't done any thing either(excluding self service and for party workers). But the point Mirza is making is if they bring down the government (as was the case in 1990s) when only 1 1/2 year is left ... tomorrows opposition won't wait too and will do horse trading, dharnas, long marches etc to bring it down again thus inviting Army to take over. Let people get fed up completely with these two while bearing them for full term so they won't forget just like last time that how they were running govt. Also just like previously PPP will start screaming in TV shows that they were not let to complete the mandate therefore they couldn't complete (imaginary) projects. Hopefully people do realize that you don't vote parties but individuals regardless of their party affiliations, who don't just talk and talk but are actively working and stand on their words.

Ali R | 12 years ago | Reply Whatever, Imran Khan and PTI made this their point more than a month ago. Please come up with your own ideas Nawaz--don't wait for PTI to take the right direction and then repeat the same thing.

Khan | 12 years ago | Reply He Should Not go completely HAND IN HAND with MQM , it will effect his punjab's votebank. Keep MQM at a distance. let PML-Q's members join who want to join him. He needs to understand that Pre-election & Post election are different scenarios. Pre-election he should NOT go against ALL the parties he should keep some of the parties in his pocket.

Khan | 12 years ago | Reply Not True. I bet NS will not try to overthrow this government , hes rather trying to to increase his political strength by accepting other parties. The Truth is that PPP is in Govt just because of NS , he had 2,3 major chances to overthrow this govt but he dint!!

Asif Ali | 12 years ago | Reply @salman orangiwala whatever problems you have mentioned is are just not only because of current government, but previous one.

Ali Nawaz | 12 years ago | Reply @Mirza... This is not the time to criticize Nawaz Sharif. I'm not supporter of him or his party. But this time, there must be some force to oppose the government. Since 2008, there's no one to oppose government and Zardari & co get its milage. PPP never support reconciliation but they tried not to gather opposition parties. What do you think should we left the government on its own and let them what they want to do?? Didn't you notice the inflation rate? People have to wait in a line for hours to get petrol even at high prices. Same is happening in the matter of Atta, Cheeni etc. What about loadshedding, corruption etc. This is the first government who doesn't allow the Ammenisty International to surey and publish corruption report of Pakistan. My view is just to support anti government movement. There should be someone who have to brig people out from their homes. you or me can't do it. If opposition parties going to take initiative then we have to join this movement and in the elections choose your own leader with your vote. The leader shouldn't be the same who have been in government or in oppositions since 64 years. there must be a new one. THE TRUE LEADER. THE PAKISTANI LOVER!!

Dr. Saleem Siddiqi | 12 years ago | Reply @Mirza: 100% agree with you. However, MQM should choose next partner in Government with due care and also make public all their demands BEFORE HAND so that the incumbent Government may not cheat them as repeatedly done by PPP and even PML-N in the past. By such publicly know agreed demand list, it would be known to public and as well as the Government that who is the violator and who is the grieved party. Regards Dr. Saleem Siddiqi Johannesburg South Africa

All BS | 12 years ago | Reply Take lead from Marvi Memon, first resign from the NA??!!

Usman Syed | 12 years ago | Reply Had PML-N been sensible enough a fullforce movement to oust the government would have started 06 months back when MQM earlier left the government. It was because of the verbal onslaught of some PML-N leaders that MQM was forced to re-join government at that time. But anyways, its good that PML-N is now playing sensibly. Parties outside parliament should also be accomodated in this movement. This will provide momentum to the movement. Additionally, it will help MQM for positive image building. Nawaz Sharif really needs to play a positive role, just like a good elder brother.

Salman Orangiwala | 12 years ago | Reply @ Mirza People living abroad donot even have the silghtest idea how PPP and Mr.Zardari is viewed by the majority of the masses of Pakistan . Sky soaring inflation , negative growth rae , menacing unemployment , incorrigible corruption and nepotism , severe energy crisis and to top all the lawessness ...... just ask any ordinary citizen . Citing the recent election outcome , all knows how wholly rigged they were . It is time for that major change . Pity , people still defend Zardari on the basis of ethnicity .

AFK | 12 years ago | Reply PMLN, my appeal to MQM not to be an ally of PMLN they are even worse than the current..

Anonymous | 12 years ago | Reply This is the best thing that can happen. An alliance between both the parties plus the defections from the Q league into the N league will surely make a stronger opposition and in the future a ruling party. Ideally PTI would join them too, since neither the PTI nor the MQM can form a government by themselves.

Kafka | 12 years ago | Reply This is the start of the game which was played in nineties and culminated into the military coup. PMLN held its for such a long time and is now loosing it. How sad.

Imran | 12 years ago | Reply Lets see how the honeymoon will be like between the two PPP divorcees.

Mirza | 12 years ago | Reply Overthrowing the govt is the only chance for NS to come to power and not via elections. He is again proving that he is a true offspring of Zia's dictatorship. After seeing the election results in GB and AJK, he has read the writing on the wall. After the Sariki province demand in south Punjab, he has no chance in the next election. Just like attacking the SC building, now he may attack national assembly? Looking at his long history of alliances with rightwing parties, no secular party is going to side with PML-N.

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