LAHORE, March 22: The Pakistan Muslim League-Q announced on Sunday that it would play an ‘independent role’ and would not join a coalition government in Punjab.

After a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said the PML-Q would not join hands with any party to form government in Punjab.

Talking to newsmen, he said: “We will continue to play our role to strengthen democracy and sit in the opposition if the Pakistan People’s Party and PML-N agree to share power,” he said.

He said national interests were more important for his party than a few ministries. “Involved in the politics of Punjab nobody is thinking about other provinces and problems of the masses.”

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Farooq Ahmed Leghari, Dr Sher Afgan, Ejazul Haq, Mian Azhar, Tariq Azeem, Ameer Muqam, Wasim Sajjad, Manhaz Rafi and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin were among the 25 members of the CEC who attended the meeting held to decide the party’s role in the ‘power tussle’ in Punjab.

At the meeting, there was a clear change of attitude towards the Sharif brothers. Even those who had been advocating an alliance with the PML-N spoke against the Sharifs for their ‘refusal’ to meet the Chaudhrys. They said it was a humiliation not only of the Chaudhrys, but of the entire party.

Twenty-one members of the CEC were in favour of adopting an independent line while two wanted to join hands with the PML-N and two with the PPP.

Those favouring the independent line said the PPP and PML-N were wasting time in power politics and not trying to solve the problems of the people, like power shortage, inflation, joblessness and law and order.

They said since the government was fast losing its popularity for having failed to solve their problems it would be unwise to join hands with the PPP.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who had been persuading other party leaders to support the PPP, finally gave in to the majority.

Ejazul Haq said he still believed that the PML-Q should keep its doors open for an alliance with the PML-N because the two parties were natural allies.

Mushahid Hussain said the meeting adopted resolutions welcoming the restoration of deposed judges and condemning alleged US plans to carry out drone attacks in Balochistan and horse-trading.

He said that other parties must respect the mandate of the PML-Q and give up the politics of hypocrisy. “One the one hand they (Nawaz and Shahbaz) talk about implementation of the Charter of Democracy, on the other they violate it,” he said. He was confident the PML-Q would emerge as a ‘strong’ opposition.

Pervaiz Elahi warned that forward bloc MPAs should either return to the PML-Q or face legal action. “Those who are staying in Raiwind must return and the party will welcome them.”

Dr Sher Afgan told Dawn that a new Seraiki province should be established to stop Nawaz Sharif from playing the Punjab card. He said the government would not last long because it was paying no attention to people’s problems.
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