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| September 15, 2005 | Thursday | Sha'aban 10, 1426 |
Pirachas bid goodbye to PPP after 35 years: PPP MNA resigns to join PML
LAHORE, Sept 14: In what appears to be his determination to bleed his opponents white — politically — before the next general elections, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi brought the influential Piracha family of Sargodha, associated with the PPP for the past 35 years, into the ruling PML on Wednesday.
PPP MNA Inamul Haq Piracha and former finance minister Ehsanul Haq Piracha met the chief minister in the presence of PML president Shujaat Husain and said impressed by the leadership of Gen Musharraf and the Chaudhrys they were joining the PML.
Inam also resigned as MNA and there are indications that he would be supported as the PML candidate for Sargodha district nazim, though ruling party MNA Anwar Ali Cheema is also a serious contender for the slot.
Cheema, whose son Amer is a minister in the cabinet, is expected to meet Shujaat and the chief minister on Thursday and will be told why the ‘new convert’ was being preferred to the old guard.
The defection of the Pirachas is taking place only a day after Lahore PML-N president Haji Hanif switched loyalties, causing disappointment among his friends in various parties of what is now called joint opposition.
Shujaat said the PML had been in contact with the Pirachas for the past six months. He said in case the four or five influential families of Sargodha joined hands, for which efforts were being made, no opposition party would stand any chance in the district.
“Our main target is (winning) the 2007 polls; we’ll sweep the general elections,” said the PML president.
The chief minister said with Piracha’s coming in, the PML would get stronger in the Sargodha district.
In an obvious reference to the Cheemas who want the district nazimship, Pervaiz Elahi said the party members should be altruistic and broad-minded in their approach. They should facilitate the newcomers rather than obstruct them, he said. A reporter suggested that the Pirachas were not the people of commitment as they were bidding farewell to the PPP after a long association only for the sake of power and they would change their loyalty again once the party was out of office.
“I am a born Muslim Leaguer,” replied Ehsanul Haq Piracha. Then he recalled his family’s links with the party from 1934 to 1951. He said the family had then joined the Council Muslim League and got membership of the PPP in 1971 under instructions from the late Mumtaz Daultana, the head of the party.
When it was pointed out that on various places the ruling partyleaders were contesting the local elections against each other, Shujaat said the party would intervene to ensure that nobody violated the discipline. He said he would take up the case of Okara district with the relevant leaders.
The PML president said Mianwali was the only district where the party was not supporting any candidate and had left it to the contestants to win the polls and then get the PML backing. The chief minister denied reports that cases had been registered against former minister Naeemullah Shahani. “We are not in favour of victimization. We did not follow this course during the past 30 months (and have no intention to do it now). However, we’ll not stop anyone who wants to quit the party”.
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