ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: The leaders of pro-Musharraf faction of Pakistan Muslim League (like-minded) are divided over the issue of supporting the government’s US policy, Dawn has learnt on Wednesday.
The PML(LM) has announced to hold a seminar on October 16 to achieve consensus among the country’s politicians on the policy of the Musharraf government to extend cooperation to the United States and other countries in the fight against terrorism.
Gohar Ayub Khan, the secretary general of the PML(LM), told newsmen on Wednesday that he was not consulted by the party president before convening the “so-called” national seminar. He said the decision should have taken by the party president after discussing the issue with the party leaders and other office- bearers.
A source told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the press release regarding holding of the seminar was dictated by a senior official of the information ministry, asking the party to release it.
Similarly, the leaders from the NWFP and Balochistan provinces are opposing the party’s decision of extending unconditional support to the Musharraf government’s policy of providing air space and air bases to the US and allied forces. The leaders are also reluctant to support General Pervez Musharraf’s idea of installing a ‘broad based’ government in Afghanistan under the head of Zahir Shah.
Some of the leaders believe that such an arrangement will go against the interests of the country.
Moreover, a group of the PML leaders believe that the party’s leaning towards the military government will damage the party in the forthcoming general elections in the country. They say due to the government’s decision to side with the US in the strike against Afghanistan, the people will reject those politicians, who are now supporting the government, in the general elections.
Meanwhile, the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the PML(LM), has demanded an immediate halt to the air raids on Afghanistan as any expansion in the ongoing operation will aggravate the problem.
The meeting, presided over by Mian Abdul Waheed, observed that any effort of imposing favourites in a broad based Afghan government would not help resolve the problem.
Briefing newsmen, Mian Abdul Waheed said Zahir Shah or any member of his family had no role to play in Afghanistan as they had become strangers after remaining in exile for so long. He said, “The people of Afghanistan must be given a chance to elect their representatives through a Loya Jirga.”
He said the party believed that the evidence produced by the US to prove involvement of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaida in the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington was insufficient to indict him or his organization. He said Osama should be handed over to any neutral country like China and Russia for his fair trial.
He criticized the US for killing civilians in Afghanistan during its air raids.
He said an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) should be convened in Pakistan to adopt a unified line by the Muslim world over the issue.
Mr Waheed said since the NWFP and Balochistan were bearing the burden of Afghan refugees, the people of these two provinces should be involved in the policy-making in respect of Afghanistan.
“In our view the government of Pakistan had failed to find out timely and lasting solution to the issue,” he said, and added the US had taken maximum advantage of the situation but had plunged Afghanistan into further destruction.
Gohar Ayub Khan, Ijazul Haq, Sardar Aurangzeb and Azim Chaudhry were also present on the occasion.