The rumour to replace the top hierarchy of Pakistan Muslim League-Q is over after a breakthrough meeting between President Pervez Musharraf and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at the President camp office, Rawalpindi, on Thursday.
The three-hour long meeting was also attended by opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, PML-Q Vice-President Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani and Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain. Sources said that the President categorically dispelled the impression that he had any plan to contact the dissidents of PML to remove him (Shujaat) from the party presidentship.
The meeting was held amidst speculations of handing over the PML-Q top office to Functional League chief Pir Pagara or another PML veteran Hamid Nasir Chattha as the later had also met President Musharraf the other day. The sources quoted the President as saying that Chaudhry Shujaat was an elected president of party and would remain at the top slot till completion of his tenure.
Speculations were rife for the last couple of weeks that the Presidency is manoeuvring to replace the top leadership of PML-Q in a bid to make the party acceptable to the Pakistan Peoples Party to induct it in the coalition government after the exit of the PML-N from the coalition.
Sources said that the President had assured that Chaudhry Shujaat would remain the party President till completion of the tenure for which the party had elected him. Besides, the meeting discussed the prevailing political situation in the country, and PML leaders informed the President that party was fully prepared to face any challenge in future.