March 18, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1429

LAHORE, March 17: Mr Hamid Nasir Chattha has refused to become the parliamentary party leader of the Pakistan Muslim League in the Punjab Assembly after a number of the party legislators have either joined any rival party or a forward bloc to support the adversaries.

Sources say Mr Chattha doesn’t think he will be able to give a better performance in the prevailing situation.

“He thinks that a day may come when he may be left all alone with only a deputy parliamentary leader by his side, and all others will switch loyalty”, said sources close to the leader who is a born Muslim Leaguer.

It is said that some top party leaders tried to convince Mr Chattha to review his thinking. However, he refused.

A delegation of PML leaders is expected to call on Mr Chattha on Tuesday (today) to urge him to play his role when the party is in a rather difficult situation.

The delegation will be led by party’s central leader Iqbal Dar.

Many PML leaders are of the view that although the party has been comprehensively defeated in the Feb 18 elections, the time is not far off when it will stage a comeback. They think that Muslim Leaguers who joined other parties for offices or privileges would get nothing expect disappointment as the PPP and the PML-N had a large number of their own people to satisfy before offering favours to outsiders.

Punjab, they say, is the real power base of the PML and an active leader like Mr Chattha is in a better position to regain its stronghold.

Mr Chattha had started his political career as a provincial minister in the 80s. Subsequently, he remained federal minister in the Junejo cabinet. He was also elected as speaker of the National Assembly.

He also worked closely with Mian Nawaz Sharif before parting ways immediately after the death of Mr Junejo.

He then set up his own faction of the PML, which remained a coalition partner with the PPP between 1993-96.

He lost the Feb 18 election on a National Assembly seat but won that of the provincial legislature.

The party leadership nominated him as the parliamentary party leader in the Punjab Assembly.