The Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) on Monday announced to sit on the opposition benches in centre and three provinces after admitting its defeat in the February 18 elections, holding party policies and performance of the caretaker government responsible for the mess.
A meeting of the party held with its President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in the chair for the first time after the elections, was attended by a large number of party members. The party also decided to form coalition government led by PML-Q in Balochistan.
However, the former ruling League failed to finalise names of parliamentary leaders in the national and provincial assemblies, which are likely to be chosen on Sunday at an another meeting to be attended by those who won the February 18 parliamentary elections on party tickets.
PML senior leader and former Punjab chief minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo, however, stressed the need for making a national government, which would contact with all the other political parties in a bid to settle the issues being faced by the country.
After the meeting, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain flanked by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Senator Tariq Azeem, PML provincial chiefs Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Amir Muqam, and Arbab Ghulam Rahim addressed a joint press conference at the party central secretariat.
He said that after being defeated in the elections, the party has set a new tradition to admit polling results and decided to sit on the opposition benches, where it would also set an another new tradition giving away the desk thumbing politics. Instead, he said, his party would play positive and constructive role in settling issues of national importance like war on terrorism, foreign policy issues and granting all possible provincial autonomy to all the federating units.
The PML chief said that the party would not create any hurdle for other coalition partners, which are in a position to form the governments, but would play effective opposition role by reminding them of their promises made to the people and getting votes. However, he dispelled the impression to change party leadership as reported by media.
Meanwhile, insiders said that party leaders openly criticised policies and decisions made by government of the PML during the last five years, which ultimately sank the ship on February 18, where a large number of party ticket holders, including former senior cabinet members along with the NA speaker and the deputy speaker had also lost their seats.
On the occasion, Senator Mushahid Hussain said the PML had constituted a Legal Aid Committee led by Senator S.M. Zafar to examine the irregularities at polling stations and present them to the Election Commission, particularly in Sindh, where he alleged the PML workers and candidates were threatened and polling were manipulated.
He said the PML by sitting in opposition would play a positive and constructive role as far as the national issues like foreign policy, war on terror, and provision of provincial rights are concerned.
He also said that the party would also press the new government to implement the report of Senate sub-committee on Balochistan prepared by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed for granting province due right.
Former Punjab chief minister and provincial PML President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said the PML despite losing maximum seats, has good existence and representation in all the four provinces whereas the PML-N has no existence in Sindh and Balochistan.
He was optimistic that not a single person of his party would cross the flour. To a question, he said that during the five-year government of the PML, there was no issue of 'atta' and load shedding.
He said that within few days, the PML would nominate parliamentary leaders in centre and all the provinces and would contact other like-minded parties to form coalition government in Balochistan.
Talking to journalists, Mian Manzoor Wattoo said that a national government should be formed in centre having representation of all the political parties and he is actively working on this. Former NA speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain held 'atta', load shedding and worst law and order situation responsible for the party defeat, despite a large scale development activities carried out in the country.