ISLAMABAD, May 4: President General Pervez Musharraf held intensive meetings in his chamber in Parliament House with leaders of various factions of the ruling PML and party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.
The president met Hamid Nasir Chattha, Ijazul Haq and Mian Manzoor Wattoo and discussed affairs of the PML and its preparedness for the 2007 elections, sources told Dawn.
This is the second time during the current parliament’s tenure that President Musharraf has held meetings with treasury legislators in his parliament chamber.
He is expected to hold more such meetings next week in an effort to draw up a broad strategy for next year’s elections, the sources said. The main objective of the meetings is to defuse differences among frontline leaders of the party.
The last time President Musharraf had held a series of meetings with MPs of the ruling party was before a major shake-up in the administration when Shaukat Aziz replaced Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali as prime minister.
The main issues on which the president is interacting with the legislators include that of his uniform and strategy for the general elections.
Former president Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari was also scheduled to meet the president, but he could not come for health reasons. He is expected to hold a separate meeting with the president.
Mr Leghari, whose Millat Party was one of four factions which had merged with the ruling PML, differs with the party leadership on a number of issues.
Mr Chattha and Mr Wattoo who recently held two meetings with the party’s old guard decided to convey the general feeling of dissatisfaction in the party to the president.
Mr Wattoo told the electronic media after Thursday’s meeting that he and Mr Chattha had informed the president that internal differences was weakening the PML institutions which would not help the party in the next elections.
According to the sources, the two leaders aired their grievances against Chaudhry Shujaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz and said that the way the two ran the party created doubles about prospects of its success in the next elections.
Meanwhile, Chaudhry Shujaat has summoned a meeting of the PML’s central executive committee on Friday to discuss issues relating to intra-party elections, completion of the party’s general council and central working committee.
According to a source in the party, the CEC was summoned under pressure from the old guard who claim to enjoy support of more than 50 senior Leaguers.
Chaudhry Shujjaat and Chaudhry Pervaiz later had a meeting with the president in his chamber which continued for some time.
Online adds: During his meeting with Mr Chattha, Mr Wattoo and federal minister Ijazul Haq, President Musharraf ruled out any possibility of snap elections. The president said: “General elections will be held as per schedule. Any chance of snap elections stands ruled out. All the political parties will be allowed to take part in the elections. No ban will be imposed on any party to contest the elections. We will invite foreign observers to come to Pakistan and review the conduct of elections.”
The president said he fully believed in promotion of democracy and democratic institutions and wanted ‘unalloyed democracy’ in the country. He noted that there was need to improve the law and order situation in the country. Inflation, unemployment and poverty were pressing problems, he said, adding that a solid strategy esd required to address the problems. The president stressed the need for improving the performance of the ruling party and said that all factions should be taken along. All decisions should be taken through mutual consultations so that the PML could emerge as majority party in the elections, he added.
