Shujaat, Pagara aim PML unification
Bureau Report

KARACHI—In the aftermath of the ugly incident at Sindh Assembly building on Saturday and again on Monday, a consensus has developed for unification of PML (Q) and PML (F). The unification issue emerged in a meeting held after a long time between President PML (Q) Ch Shujaat Hussain and President PML(F) Pir Pagara at Kingri House here Tuesday.
Ch. Shujaat accompanied by former caretaker information minister Nisar A. Memon, former information minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, former federal minister Ghaus Bux Khan Mahar, former chief minister Sindh Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Senator Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, PML leader Tariq Hasan, Tuesday visited Kingri House where this meeting took place.
Addressing a largely attended press conference at the residence of former chief minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim after the meetings with MQM Leaders at its headquarter Nine Zero, Pir Pagara at Kingri House and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi at Jatoi House, Ch Shujaat said a consensus developed between him and Pir Pagara for the need for unification of their respective leagues.
He said that he told Pir Pagara that since he is a highly respectable personality among Muslim Leaguers and is taken in high esteem, he should lead the unified League while Pagara told him that he should lead the unified party. Referring to Monday’s ugly incident at Sindh Assembly building where former chief minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim was maltreated while he was leaving the Assembly building after taking oath as MPA, Ch Shujaat said they had supported the reconciliation process in greater national interest.
He said that at that time he had stated that they would sit in the opposition and would support the government for its good works but oppose the wrong doings and for that purpose they gave vote of confidence to Yousuf Raza Gilani as Prime Minister. However, he pointed out, many things have started emerging wrong since then and registration of cases started against score of PML leaders and workers including Mahers, Malkanis and others.
He said they tolerated all thus, but the incident which took place on Monday was neither a sad incident nor something condemnable but just an act of terrorism which was portrayed correctly by media. He said the media had been pinpointing our weaknesses when they were in power and hopefully they would do the same with the present ones.
He added that his meetings with MQM and Pir Pagara after a meeting with Dr. Arbab proved fruitful. Ch Shujaat conveyed a message of Ch Parvez Ilahi that in protest against the maltreatment of Dr. Arbab, their party will boycott the Punjab Assembly session and will not take part in the elections of Speaker and Deputy Speaker till the matter was reasonably resolved.
PML President said that they do not want to indulge in a kind of protest which may result in law and order problem. He said people throughout the country showed their sympathies and they appreciate the patience demonstrated by Dr. Arbab. He declared that there is neither any appeal from him for protest not any demand against the incident.
He said they have not lodged any FIR on this incident nor there is any need to do this because what was shown on TV channels was itself a FIR. “We do not want to take any extreme step”, he said adding that however, the PPP should tender an unconditional apology with acceptance of responsibility because it occurred in their tenure by their people.
Ch Shujaat said that he also talked to MQM Chief Altaf Hussain who extended his full support on this issue. He disclosed that PML(F) Chief has proposed Dr. Arbab as opposition leader in Sindh Assembly and Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi has also endorsed this proposal.
PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said violence against former chief minister Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim is an undemocratic posture adding the incident is condemnable.
He said this while talking to the journalists here at airport Tuesday. Former information minister Nisar A Memon, former federal minister Muhammad Ali Durrani and others were also present on the occasion.
Denouncing the violence against former chief minister Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said he did not believe in any inquiry. However a judicial inquiry into the incident could be acceptable.