PML-Q rift widens

ISLAMABAD - The reconciliatory move between Chaudhry brothers and dissidents of PML-Q got stalled here on Wednesday when the Chaudhrys of Gujrat flatly refused to constitute a special committee to run party affairs that pushed defiant Hamid Nasir Chattha and associates to wash party’s dirty linens in public and exhibit their non-confidence against Q-League’s top command.   

Disgruntled PML-Q leader Chaudhry Hamid Nasir Chattha after failure of talks with Chaudhry brothers on party’s central command issue, alleged that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had made the party hostage and it was Elahi who had forced Shujaat to back peddle from his commitment, made with party elders on last Friday (November 7), of constituting a special committee to run party affairs.  

Chattha while addressing a press conference at his residence said that the party leadership was involved in lobbying to sneak into the treasury and for the purpose, it had held talks with the PPP-led government. “Chaudhrys have publicly admitted that they were in contact with the PPP leadership. Now they are maligning others for contacting the PPP,” he added.

“I along with senior party friends made efforts to keep united the different splinter groups in the party fold. However, the party leadership was so weak that Pervaiz Elahi became de facto President of the Pakistan Muslim League”, said Chattha. He alleged that the party leader, soon after the elections, made no effort to keep the party active and united. “Despite the fact that the party legislators were a bit confused and different forward blocs were created, the party leadership did make no effort to keep the party intact”, he said.

Chattha added that the PML candidates had won majority seats in Balochistan and were able to form the government. However, he added, the party leadership neither visited Balochistan nor did it make any effort to reconcile them.  “Resultantly, all our MPAs joined the PPP-led government which was a minority party. Likewise, during the presidential polls, the leadership did not consult the party legislators and our candidate could not obtain our votes,” he added.