Shah Mehmood Qureshi will be next Prime Minister, Pir Pagara
Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) chief Pir Pagara has given his thumbs up to Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) estranged leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi becoming the next prime minister of Pakistan.
“I foresee Shah Mahmood Qureshi as the next prime minister of the country,” Pagara said at a crowded press conference held after the meeting on Sunday at the Kingri House between the two leaders. Political pundits had attached much significance to the meeting but Qureshi claimed that the reunion was merely a “family meeting” and not political, and was held because Pagara had praised his family.
Yet, there was a political statement from Pagara: “If one Makhdoom can become the premier, there is no reason why another could not,” he said, adding that the status of Qureshi’s family was higher than that of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Defending the role of former president Farooq Leghari, Pagara said that he didn’t do much wrong since there was an obvious conflict between the offices of the president and prime minister.
Replying to another question, Pagara said that a PNA-like movement could be started, but at this moment in time, it would be only from the religious parties and not from the political ones. Earlier, the former foreign minister argued that there was no malice in him meeting with Pagara since the PML-F was the PPP’s coalition partner in Sindh and at the Centre.
“I haven’t broken any party discipline, I am happy where I am, and will not break any ties if due respect are given to me,” he said. Qureshi was clearly irked at the barrage of political questions, and him being likened to Farooq Leghari. “I am not unaware of history; what wrong have I done? Why am I being connected to Leghari? Can anybody tell me which step of mine was against the party’s stance? I have not left the PPP’s flag,” he boomed.
Replying a question about contact from PML-N, Qureshi said that he was not on a political contacts move. But when more political questions were asked of him, he claimed that he was not in Karachi for any political press conference, and will only reply to such questions when he conducts a political press conference. But when a journalist quipped that PPP Secretary-General Jahangir Badar had said in Lahore that Qureshi must follow party discipline, he quickly replied that he was also in favour of party discipline.
“I foresee Shah Mahmood Qureshi as the next prime minister of the country,” Pagara said at a crowded press conference held after the meeting on Sunday at the Kingri House between the two leaders. Political pundits had attached much significance to the meeting but Qureshi claimed that the reunion was merely a “family meeting” and not political, and was held because Pagara had praised his family.
Yet, there was a political statement from Pagara: “If one Makhdoom can become the premier, there is no reason why another could not,” he said, adding that the status of Qureshi’s family was higher than that of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Defending the role of former president Farooq Leghari, Pagara said that he didn’t do much wrong since there was an obvious conflict between the offices of the president and prime minister.
Replying to another question, Pagara said that a PNA-like movement could be started, but at this moment in time, it would be only from the religious parties and not from the political ones. Earlier, the former foreign minister argued that there was no malice in him meeting with Pagara since the PML-F was the PPP’s coalition partner in Sindh and at the Centre.
“I haven’t broken any party discipline, I am happy where I am, and will not break any ties if due respect are given to me,” he said. Qureshi was clearly irked at the barrage of political questions, and him being likened to Farooq Leghari. “I am not unaware of history; what wrong have I done? Why am I being connected to Leghari? Can anybody tell me which step of mine was against the party’s stance? I have not left the PPP’s flag,” he boomed.
Replying a question about contact from PML-N, Qureshi said that he was not on a political contacts move. But when more political questions were asked of him, he claimed that he was not in Karachi for any political press conference, and will only reply to such questions when he conducts a political press conference. But when a journalist quipped that PPP Secretary-General Jahangir Badar had said in Lahore that Qureshi must follow party discipline, he quickly replied that he was also in favour of party discipline.
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