ISLAMABAD: The country witnessed on Monday another marriage of convenience between two political parties having record of hurling serious allegations on each other, as 14 PML-Q lawmakers took oath as members of the federal cabinet.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to new ministers.Those who took oath as federal ministers include Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Amir Muqam, Anwar Ali Cheema, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, Faisal Saleh Hayat, Ghous Bukhsh Mehr and Riaz Hussain Pirzada.
The new ministers of state include Khwaja Shiraz Mehmood, Sardar Bahadur Seer, Akram Masih Gil, Sardar Shahjahan Yousuf, Raza Hayat Hiraj, Sheikh Waqas Akram and Rana Asif Tauseef.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Punjab Governor Latif Khosa, Khyber Pakhtunkwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Syed Mahdi Shah, PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Waseem Sajjad, federal ministers, members of parliament and high-ranking officials attended the ceremony.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan described the inclusion of PML-Q legislators in the cabinet as the height of hypocrisy, falsehood and self-interest. “Those who used to accuse each other of murder, corruption and anti-state activities are embracing each other as if the nation was oblivious to their words and deeds,” he remarked.
He said the rulers must realise that their boat was bound to sink faster because of the additional burden of the PML-Q on the board.
He said such unnatural alliances would neither prove to be long-lasting nor the harbinger of a positive change for the people. He said the PML-Q had not only accused the PPP of being involved in corruption in rental power projects, but had also gone to the extent of knocking the door of the apex court.
He said those who had done politics for eight years under the patronage of a uniformed dictator had now joined hands with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's party to promote their interests and were chalking out plans to jointly hoodwink the people in the next general elections. He, however, said such moves would be frustrated by the people.
The PPP and PML-Q had decided to form a coalition government and cooperate in the next general elections in a meeting held at the Presidency on Sunday night.
The two parties agreed to work together to strengthen democracy, ensure electoral reforms, create new provinces, especially in Southern Punjab (Seraiki) and Hazara, subject to consultation with the people and approval of stakeholders and making appropriate amendments to the Constitution for this purpose.
The two parties also agreed to cooperate in a number of areas of concern to the people, including economic uplift, controlling inflation, resolving the issue of power shortage, carrying out accountability and strengthening law and order in the country.
All the demands put forth by the PML-Q were accepted. These, sources say, include ending the corruption case against Moonis Elahi, son of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
One unresolved issue is that of appointment of Pervaiz Elahi as deputy prime minister, for which Prime Minister Gilani believes a constitutional amendment is required. The government, however, says the issue will be amicably resolved.
