Moonis Elahi Blog News: PML-Q Wins Back

LAHORE - A large number of PML-Q members who had earlier formed a Forward Bloc and supported PML-N and its Presidential candidate to swell its numbers to 201 in the Punjab Assembly showed up in the party’s Parliamentary Party meeting held here on Wednesday.

The meeting, followed by an Iftar dinner, held at the Gulberg residence of Chaudhrys of Gujrat was organized as a show of strength on the part of PML-Q which was continuously depleting after February 18 elections.

The motive behind the show was not only demonstrating the present strength of PML-Q but also to highlight that a large number of its members who earlier supported PML-N are back in its fold.

The main strategy of the Chaudhrys before the meeting was to put up a show that included a minimum of a 50-plus members. The initial target was to win back at least 15 members from PML-N and add to it in its tally of 36.

The result of presidential election showed that PML-Q, out of its original strength of 84 was just left with 36 members while remaining have either gone to PML-N, swelling its strength to 201 from 171 or PPP which won 123 seats.

An insider, giving details of the meeting called by Ch Pervaiz Elahi, claimed that 62 members were present which shows an addition of 26 more members to its last tally of 36. Another participant close to Chaudhrys claimed that 15 of those who earlier supported PML-N were also present in the meeting.

The meeting was also attended by several members of Forward Bloc, which supported PPP’s presidential candidate.

A PML-Q Parliamentary leader said that now the PML-N should delete those members who attended the meeting from its list. He claimed that tally could have been even bigger had some members not gone abroad or fell ill, were present on this occasion.

The independent political circles were of the view that if 62 members participated in the meeting including those who before supported PML-N then it was a big victory for the PML-Q against its rival league.

Senior PPP and PML-Q leaders made hectic efforts to organize the meeting as a show of strength. Punjab Governor Salman Taseer held a series of meetings with the Chaudhrys and facilitated them. On the part of Chaudhrys, Moonis Elahi figured very prominently in holding this meeting. The PML-Q’s decision to put up show of strength on the part of PML-Q was a part of strategy finalized in the meeting between Punjab Governor and Chaudhrys soon after the Presidential elections.