All Muslim League factions to be united soon: Pagara

Pir Pagara says government should realise that it is losing credibility with the masses.

The Awami Muslim League President Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that final phase of unifying all Muslim Leagues, under the chair of Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F) leader Pir Pagara, would be initiated soon.

“All the leaders of the various factions of the League have agreed to unite under the leadership of Pir sahib. Soon we will launch All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) in all four provinces,” said Sheikh Rashid while talking to the media alongside Pagara. He further said that in the previous meetings with Pagara it had been mutually agreed that all the factions should come under one umbrella to play an effective role in politics. The meeting came in the wake of recent developments in the political scenario and after other leaders of factions of the League met Pagara. “This is going to turn around the situation once Pir saheb tours all the provinces himself, where he will get an over whelming response,” Sheikh Rashid said.

Pagara also said that it was time that government should realize that it is losing credibility with the masses. While appreciating the role played by Sheikh Rashid for the unification of all the leagues, Pagara said that Sheikh Rashid has a bright future in politics. “Sheikh Rashid saheb came to me with a request to lead the new alliance to which I responded with an affirmative. I have had meetings with others and soon we will all get together,” Pagara said.

Talking about the newly appointed Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice Deedar Hussain Shah, the chief of PML-F, said: “Shah is apparently a good man but only if he is away from Zardari. If he stays with Zardari, he will become like him.”

Commenting on Pervez Musharraf’s political career, Pagara said, “He has no future in Pakistan’s politics and all his efforts are aimed at returning to the political limelight”.

The two leaders also discussed the future course of action for the merger of the League. “I have requested Pir sahib to travel by road to all the places and I hope Pir sahib will consider my request,” Sheikh Rashid said.

When asked whether President Zardari had contacted him, Pagara said “I have not contacted Zardari neither do I intend to do so,” adding that it was high time that people saw changes in the political scene.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2010.