Allies turn their back on president
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
By Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: The politics of opportunism showed its true colours in the NWFP Assembly on Tuesday when a political party and some parliamentarians, who reaped the fruits during Musharrafs eight years rule, left him in the lurch at a time when he needed them most.
The PPP-Sherpao, once a close ally of President Musharraf, and other MPAs who actively backed and participated in the presidential elections in Oct 2007, supported a provincial assembly resolution, demanding of President Musharraf to take a confidence vote or resign from the office; otherwise he would be impeached.
Six of the eight MPAs, who voted in the presidential elections, virtually disowned their previous stand on Tuesday. PPP-S MPA Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, justifying his party stand, told The News NWFP senior minister and ANP parliamentary leader Bashir Ahmad Bilour visited his residence in Peshawar while PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari made a request to Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao in Islamabad to support the resolution in the NWFP assembly.
We respect their request for the sake of democracy and the mandate given to them by the people in the general elections, Sikandar added.A total of 34 MPAs participated in the presidential election held on Oct 6, 2007, of whom 31 ballots were cast in favour of Gen Musharraf, two votes were declared invalid while one had gone to presidential candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin.
The ANP, the JI, the PPP and the PML-N had resigned from the NWFP Assembly in protest against what they called controversial presidential election while the JUI-F did not participate in the elections.
Fifteen PPP-S MPAs, nine PML-Q, six independent MPAs and four MMA dissidents had cast their votes in the presidential elections. Qazi Muhammad Asad from Haripur, who has joined the ANP and won berth in the cabinet, was the only PML-Q MPA, who did not turn up during the polling despite the fact that his party had fully supported Gen Musharraf in the presidential election.
Eight of the MPAs, who voted for Gen Musharraf, were re-elected to the NWFP assembly. They were Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, Israrullah Gandapur, Syed Murid Kazim and Attiqur Rehman of the PPP-Sherpao, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, Wajihuzzaman and Nighat Yasmin of the PML-Q and Syed Qalb-e-Hasan as independent.
Provincial ministers Pervez Khan Khattak and Habibur Rehman Tanoli, having affiliation with the PPP-S till recent past, had indirectly supported Gen Musharraf in his election as Liaquat Khattak, brother of Pervez Khattak and Ghazala Habib, daughter of Habibur Rehman Tanoli, had cast their votes in the same controversial election.
Only Qalandar Lodhi and Nighat Aurakzai remained loyal to the military dictator.Interestingly, the then-chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Tariq Pervez, had presided over the presidential elections held in the provincial assembly, who was later on deposed as a result of Nov 3 action of Musharraf.The lawyers community, protesting outside the provincial assembly building, had severely criticised him for presiding over what they called illegal and unconstitutional elections.
Allies turn their back on president