PML splinter group taps Jamali to lead

ISLAMABAD—Forward block in ruling PML has made request to the former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to lead the group.
Block will also contact old Muslim leaguers including Majeed Malik, Mian Azhar, Elahi Bakhsh Soomro, Abida Hussain and Fakhar Imam. Some legislators from PPP-Patriot have also joined the block.
Well placed sources told Online Mian Riaz Hussain, MNA from Bahawalpur is leading the block and all those MNAs who were ignored by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi in the local government elections and their political rivals were supported in becoming Nazim have joined forward block. The political position of the dissenting legislators was also affected adversely.
In an Iftar party hosted by Riaz Peerzada in a local hotel, the MNAs including Makhdoom Ahmad Alam Anwar, Faiz Malik, Amin Aslam, Roy Mansib Ali Khan, Farooq Azam, Rana Omar Nazir, Mazhar Qureshi and Farooq Amjid Mir burst into rage against Chaudhris of Gujrat. The group has decided to contact the disgruntled legislators from other provinces after Eid.
This group is also in contact with chairman public accounts committee, Malik Allah Yar Khan, minister for Environment Maj (R) Tahir Iqbal and senior vice president Abdul Majeed Malik. The latter have assured the forward block of their support.
Informed sources told that former President Farooq Leghari is also backing the block.
Forward block has requested Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali to lead the group but the former has not given any assurance in this respect so far.
A few days earlier Riaz Pirzada had held long meeting with Jamali. The dissenting MNAs spoke more harshly against Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as compared to Chaudhry Shujaat. They were of the view that Pervez Elahi has hijacked the whole party and is using PML for his personal gains.
A senior Muslim Leaguer told that forward block activities will gain momentum after Eid.—Online