Trending Discussions
PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai led his party delegation –comprising General Secretary Akram Shah Khan, Provincial President Usman Khan Kakar and Vice President Qahar Khan – at a meeting with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind on Wednesday. PML-N Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, Secretary General Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Senator Pervez Rashid, MNA Ahsan Iqbal, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir and Tariq Azeem were also present.
The two parties discussed current political situation with particular reference to Balochistan and in principle; they decided to join hands for contesting the upcoming elections so that their victory could be instrumental to address the Balochistan problem. However, sources in the PML-N said a committee, comprising members from the two parties, would decide the matter of election formula.
The meeting expressed serious concern over the present situation and blamed the Pakistan People’s Party-led coalition government for leaving the county in the lurch. The sources maintained that the two parties also felt strong concern for Balochistan and decided to reach out to the annoyed Balochis to bring them back to the mainstream politics.
The meeting expressed the resolve to continue with democratic process to get the problems resolved, stressing that a strong parliament was indispensable to meet the challenges posed by internal and external elements. They also planned to put pressure on the government to hold the upcoming election on time.
Talking this scribe, PML-N Senator Pervez Rashid stressed the need for providing due share in governance to the Balochis, who had been facing a sense of deprivation. He said the Balochistan issue was the core problem of the county.
He said the two parties agreed to bring the Baloch leadership back to the national politics besides discussing matters related to the upcoming elections.
He stressed the need for ensuring free and fair elections in Balochistan to enable true leadership of the province to come to power. He took a swipe at the federal government for its “failure to serve the masses”, saying that the Centre never strove to reach out to the public to heal their wounds during its term. The senator said the two parties joined hands to ensure free and fair elections that would lead to solution to problems in Balochistan.
In the past, the PML-N and the PkMAP had been in touch on various issues and in a situation the country had been facing, the two parties have unanimity. The political pundits view the current meeting a revival of their political journey since 2007 when they formed the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf. First, the PML-N had decided to boycott the general elections under Musharraf, raising concerns on fairness and impartiality of votes. But it participated in the polls in February 2008 after the two-month delay after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
