Many kings party MPs want to come out Musharrafs shadow for political legitimacy

The recent unsuccessful bid by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to bring about a change in the PML-Q leadership has apparently irked both former premier Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, who now feel as if they have been stabbed in their back and now want their party to come out of Musharrafs shadow.

Islamabad, Apr 14 : The recent unsuccessful bid by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to bring about a change in the PML-Q leadership has apparently irked both former premier Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi, who now feel as if they have been stabbed in their back and now want their party to come out of Musharraf's shadow.

Sources close to the PML-Q say that the party wants to have its own identity independent of Musharraf, as, they feel, any connection with the President at this point of time "would be damaging for the political future of the party".

To show its first signs of partying away from Musharraf, the PML-Q is said to be planning to take popular decisions that may include "support for the restoration of judges", reported The News. "This is the right time to admit before the people that we did wrong in the past and tender an apology and announce our unconditional support to the government to get the deposed judges restored," the paper quoted a senior PML-Q leader as saying.

According to the paper, a considerable number of party MPs, both in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly, are exasperated and trying to detach the party from the presidency.

"Despite being in the opposition, we are being suspected and not treated in the manner as opposition is usually treated," the paper quoted an influential PML-Q leader as saying. He also revealed that even the Chaudhrys of Gujrat were now not that enthusiastic in their love for Musharraf.

A family source of the Chaudhrys said that the recent covert move of the Presidency to change the PML-Q leadership had greatly disappointed both Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi, who now feel as if they have been stabbed in their back after all they have done for the man at the top, said the paper.

A PML-Q leader lamented that while in the government they were referred as the king's men, and now, when they are in the opposition, they are not being treated accordingly both by the media and people. "There is a growing realisation that unless we publicly detach ourselves from the president, the PML-Q cannot continue as a party that enjoys the trust of the people," he said.

ANI