A dark horse

The nomination of Syed Mushahid Hussain as secretary-general of the unified Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has come as a surprise to politicians, analysts, the media and the public alike.
Mushahid proved a dark horse, whose name was nowhere in the reckoning when heavyweights such as Gauhar Ayub and the outgoing secretary-general Salim Saifullah were vying for the prestigious post.
It follows that these aspirants and their supporters would be less than happy at the decision. That could spell another bout of factionalism within the party in future.
Otherwise, too, Mushahid appears to be a less than unanimous choice, if the absence of some senior leaders of the party at the press conference called to make the announcement is taken into account.
Although all the merging factions of the Muslim League and the National Alliance have been accommodated in various posts, including the nominees of the merging parties' heads as Senior Vice Presidents, it is the major component of the unified party, the PML(Q), that has yet to receive its just desserts according to its strength. It is reported that the decision in favour of Mushahid came after Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf.
That has given rise to speculation that this was the President's choice. If so, it is intriguing why the President found it necessary to go outside the mainstream of the party contenders to back a dark horse like Mushahid Hussain. One theory is that Punjab being the main base of support of the PML, Mushahid was picked to allow him to meet the challenge of grassroots organisation of the party better. But on that count, Mushahid cannot boast much experience, and it remains to be seen whether he can cope with the hurly-burly of grassroots party politics.
Mushahid's own track record in politics is mixed. Although he stands head and shoulders above the likes of Gauhar Ayub (recently graduated) and Salim Saifullah (a scion of the powerful Saifullah family of the NWFP) in terms of educational background and articulation, he 'graduated' from being close to Nawaz Sharif to his Information Minister in the last government.
During his watch, the press had a hard time, and that may still rankle with his media colleagues.
Having spent some time under house arrest after Nawaz's overthrow, Mushahid re-invented himself as a member of the PML(Q), thereby joining the herd of defecting PML(N) members and leaders. His rehabilitation owes a great deal to his reputed closeness to the military establishment, and that may further strengthen speculations about the President's hand in his appointment.