Zardari lobbies Chaudhrys: Efforts to push PML-N into ‘power politics’ renew

ISLAMABAD: Renewed efforts are under way with the help of ‘mutual but influential’ friends to win support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for ‘power politics’ aimed at bringing change in the Punjab and the Centre, reliable sources told The News here on Saturday.

Sources said though a number of senior PML-N members are strongly supportive of the proposals floated by some mutual friends but the party leadership is not giving any response to them.

When asked about the proposals, the PML-N sources confided to this correspondent “these proposals are not new and were categorically rejected by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif time and again in the past. Now we are being forced to at least give some serious thought to these proposals before taking any decision about them.” They said the PML-N is also not responding to the demand of the component parties of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to give a clear-cut date for a long march towards Islamabad against the Imran-led government.

Sources said former president Asif Ali Zardari has decided to stay in Lahore for three days during he would inquire after the health of senior politician Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, adding “Asif Ali Zardari will also have an important meeting with Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi in which the political situation in the Punjab will be discussed.”

“The presence of Asif Ali Zardari in Lahore at this time holds importance for those quarters who are trying to bridge gaps between PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),” sources said.

They claimed that many sympathisers are also insisting to bring back PPP into the PDM fold as they believe that the government was taking benefit of division in the opposition parties. Sources said the visit of Asif Ali Zardari to Lahore is not likely to remove lack of trust between PML-N and PPP because both of them blame each other for wrongdoings that dented the politics of the opposition parties.

They said both parties are also doubtful of each other's conduct because when the government succeeded in passing NAB Amendment Bill the Leader of Opposition in Senate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Azam Nazir Tarar and other prominent members of PML-N and PPP were not present in the upper house of the parliament.

“The PML-N also wants PPP to file its separate application in the court against the NAB Amendment Bill because it thinks that they have different viewpoint on some issues related to this legislation,” sources said.

The PML-N sources said at a time when proposals are being given for no-confidence motions the PML-N (Punjab Chapter) is making preparations for next general elections. “The PML-N (Punjab Chapter) has submitted a detailed report to Nawaz Sharif about its contacts with elected members of the ruling party in Punjab but it has not been allowed to give any kind of assurances regarding the next general elections,” sources said. However, senior party members are also mounting pressure on the PML-N leadership to come up with a clear strategy especially in the context of these proposals before the upcoming public meeting in Lahore that according to them would decide the future course of action of the opposition parties, they said.

When contacted, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told The News that “We are very clear about our political concepts and we think that free and fair elections are the only solution to the growing mess. We do not believe in no-confidence motions because they cannot be passed without support from the powerful quarters.” “We do not want support of undemocratic forces to get no-confidence motions passed. So we will continue our struggle for fresh general elections in the country,” he said. To a question, he said “there are claims that the establishment will stay neutral in politics but it should be manifested on ground otherwise no one can believe it.”