KARACHI, July 14: Chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional Pir Pagara has said that the ruling PML-Q is a ‘band of swindlers’ which will disappear with the departure of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He was of the view that under the relevant election rules, Gen Musharraf was not eligible to take part in politics and he also lacked time for politics.

He was talking to a group of journalists after his meeting with PML-Q Secretary General Mushahid Hussain, who was accompanying Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim and Irrigation Minister Sardar Nadir Akmal Leghari, provincial chief and secretary general of the PML-Q, respectively.

Mushahid Hussain, after arriving here from Islamabad in the afternoon, went straight to the Kingri House from airport and held a half-hour session with Pir Pagara.

“Mushahid did not meet me as a PML leader but a Syed… and Syeds ought to meet each other regularly,” he remarked in his unique style when asked to comment on the meeting. He said he had never received anyone in his capacity as a PML-Q leader.

When his attention was drawn to the speculations of the chief minister’s possible departure which would spread whenever Dr Arbab proceeded to Islamabad, Pir Pagara said aspirants of the CM office would consider Dr Arbab’s every visit to Islamabad as his first step towards quitting the office, but they did not know that he would submit his resignation to the governor and not the president as per the rules.

In reply to a question, he recalled that before Gen Musharraf embraced PML-Q, another general, Ayub Khan, had formed his own party and named it ‘Conventional Muslim League’ but the party disappeared with his removal from the scene. Similarly, he pointed out, the IJI emerged and vanished like the Conventional League did. The PML-Q will meet the same fate after President Musharraf’s departure,” he added.

Pir Pagara went on to say that his PML-F was the real PML which had remained and would remain unaffected by the arrival of departure of rulers.

Syed Mushahid Hussain, before leaving the Kingri House, told newsmen that he had come here to present Pir Pagara a book about late Suriyah Badshah, father of Pir Pagara.