ISLAMABAD, June 4: A new move is underway to get most of the government’s coalition partners to join the ruling PML-Q with a view to countering the MMA and other opposition parties.
Informed sources told Dawn here on Tuesday that President Pervez Musharraf has agreed with PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that the time has come when the PPP Patriots, the National Alliance of former President Farooq Leghari, the PML (Pagara group), PML-J, and the PML-Z should join the PML-Q to strengthen its position both in and outside parliament.
In case these coalition partners join the PML-Q, the sources said, they would not be violating the defection clause as it did not apply to political ‘groups’.
The issue was reportedly discussed at length at a high-level meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of President Musharraf and was attended by Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and other important people, including Chaudhry Shujaat and Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi.
The president, the sources said, had been told that most ruling party MNAs and MPAs were disturbed and disgruntled over what was termed as the “showering of undue favours” on the Patriots and demanded that the PML-Q must be given proper representation in the federal cabinet.
The president is said to have promised that PML-Q members would not be ignored and their grievances would be addressed.
Another issue which also figured prominently during the meeting was that of the MMA’s continued rigid stand on various issues, specially over the president’s military uniform.
The sources said that the president made it clear that he had no plans whatsoever to remove his military uniform and that he would not be blackmailed or pressured by the MMA.
This was stated to have led to a discussion to strengthen the government by asking its coalition partners to join the PML-Q. One participant, the sources said, was also of the view that the president should encourage a grand national reconciliation in the country by establishing contacts with Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
