The Hindu : Pro-Musharraf parties eager to face polls

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 06, 2002

International

International

Pro-Musharraf parties eager to face polls

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD May 5. The pro-Musharraf parties in Pakistan, with little following so far, seem to fancy a chance to play a big role in the promised general elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies.

What has given them hopes is the repeated assertions by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, that leaders of the mainstream parties, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, have no role in politics.

In the run-up to the campaign for the controversial referendum, Gen. Musharraf had said he expected the parties that backed the referendum and the reforms of his regime to do well in the coming elections.

It is not just the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led by Mrs. Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) headed by Mr. Sharif that gave a call for boycott of the referendum. All the major religious parties were party to the boycott call.

Against this backdrop three pro-Musharraf parties have started negotiations for formation of a new political alliance at the national level. These include the Pakistan Workers Party (PWP), Tehrik Insaf Pakistan led by former cricket captain, Imran Khan and the Pakistan Muslim League (Qauid-e-Azam).

The PML comprising rebels from the parent party has been dubbed as the ``King's party'' in view of pro-Musharraf sentiments of most of the leaders in it. They campaigned vigorously in support of the referendum and Gen. Musharraf. One of the leaders had even suggested to Gen. Musharraf to take over the party!

The idea did not appeal to Gen. Musharraf and his managers in view of the perception that the PML has not been able to muster enough support either among other leaders in the parent party or at the grassroots level. With the referendum over most of the leaders who threw their weight behind Gen. Musharraf expect the President to reward them suitably. And what offers better scope than the coming general elections.

According to the PWP Chairman, Kakar, initial negotiations on alliance of pro-Musharraf parties were being held at the provincial level between the leadership of all the three parties. In the next few days they are likely to meet in the national capital for further discussions. ``Initial talks for the formation of the new alliance remained successful and the response of two other parties was positive,'' Mr. Kakar told reporters in Quetta, Baluchistan.

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