Pakistan Muslim League (Like-minded) has decided to support former Punjab Governor Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar in the by-election in NA-178 (Muzaffargarh) to be held on May 15. Pakistan Muslim League (Like-minded) Punjab President Mian Atta Manika told Business Recorder that Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar is a politician of high political stature and his presence in the National Assembly would be a good omen for the country as well as nation.
According to him, Malik Mustafa Khar has a lot of potential and he (Khar) would try to deliver for the country as well as nation after his election as MNA. It may be noted that Jamshaid Dasti of PPP resigned from the seat of NA-178 (Muzaffargarh) on March 25 because of his fake educational degree. In the upcoming bye-polls the PPP has again awarded party ticket to Jamshaid Dasti.
On the other hand, sources close to the PML-N told this scribe that the PML-N is all set not to support the PPP candidate in the bye-election for NA-178. If the PML-N did not support the PPP candidate in the bye-election of NA-178, it would be against the verbal understanding between the coalition partners in Punjab (PML-N and PPP) which decided not to put up a candidate in bye-elections against each other nominees, the sources added.
Expressing serious reservations over indifferent attitude of rulers towards public issues, Mian Atta Manika said, currently neither there exist any system of governance nor the rulers are interested in resolving public issues. The agenda of sitting rulers is "rule and plunder" and they have no concern with the sufferings of common man, he added.
Mian Atta Manika, who is founder of PML-Q forward block in the Punjab Assembly, said there was no realisation within the PML-N that its popularity graph was declining in the face of its friendly approach towards PPP led coalition government.
The results of bye-elections of NA-123 (Lahore) should serve as an eye-opener for the PML-N leadership, as its successful candidate got fewer votes when compared with the winners of bye-elections of provincial assembly seats from Jhang and Bahawalnager, he added.
Sharing his views on situation arising out due to proposed renaming of NWFP as Khyber-Pakhtoonkhawa, Mian Atta Manika said, "It is a recipe of further divisions of provinces." It appears that this issue will cause larger divisions in the provinces, he added. Answering a question regarding meeting of his party leader Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri with former President Pervez Musharraf, he said, "No doubt these meetings cause bad image of the party." He further said that the Pakistan Muslim League (Like-minded) is holding a seminar on April 16 at Alhamra Hall on April 16 at 5 pm to highlight public issues.