Behind-the-scenes activities to establish a new political party are picking up pace, as former Punjab governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar is expected to arrive in the federal capital today (Sunday) for consultations with important stakeholders in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader said that he would be staying in Islamabad for two days to attend a get-together and hold some consultations.
Chaudhry Sarwar is widely believed to be in the process of forming a new political group that could be expected to play a significant role in the country’s politics. The former Punjab governor said that he regrets how no one is bothered about Pakistan.
“It’s the most unfortunate thing,” Sarwar lamented, “we are all Pakistanis, we are brothers, let us sit together and solve our problems.” He said the country is plunged in chaos due to political polarization, which must end.
Chaudhry Sarwar was a member of the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament, from 1997 to 2010
In response to a direct query, Sarwar said that he was still motivated to do something for Pakistan, but he hadn’t yet finalized a plan for forming a political group or party. “I am in the process of consultations with some intellectuals,” he added.
Chaudhry Sarwar seems focused on preparing for the upcoming general elections, which are due by the end of this year. It is likely that Sarwar will also meet with Tareen during his stay in Islamabad.
Sarwar quipped that his recent activities came into the limelight through a lunch hosted by another former Punjab governor, PPP leader Makhdoom Ahmed Mahmood. Former prime minister and incumbent opposition leader in the Senate, Yousaf Raza Gilani, was also in attendance. The ex-governor Punjab claimed that he didn’t believe in secret meetings, but that he was “in touch with all relevant people”. Sarwar also is reported to have met with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London a few weeks ago.
Chaudhry Sarwar termed his supposed plan to set up a party or a group “mere speculation”, but maintained that he would do “some important political work” for Pakistan
According to well-informed sources, Sarwar is leading a clique of Punjabi parliamentarians who hail from the Arain caste. Some eminent politicians from central and south Punjab are likely to join Sarwar’s new party. Jahangir Tareen, Aleem Khan and legislators from the “Chaudhry Sarwar group” are being contacted to become part of this new political platform, the sources purported.
Multiple sources said that “the new party will contest in elections with a new election symbol, and there are possibilities of seat adjustment of this new party with the PPP and PML-N”. The dissident group could comprise PTI defectors, and the party would try to win 40 to 45 seats in the Punjab Assembly as well as 15 to 20 seats in the National Assembly.
Both Aleem and Tareen had been two of PTI’s most prominent leaders in the early years, playing important roles to ensure its rise to power in 2018. Internal differences, however, led first to Tareen, and then Aleem, parting ways with PTI chief Imran Khan. Sarwar and Aleem both left the PTI as Imran Khan was gearing up to face a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
Sources say Chaudhry Sarwar and Jehangir Tareen have held initial consultations in an earlier meeting in Lahore
Chaudhry Sarwar was a member of the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament, from 1997 to 2010 representing a constituency from Glasgow. But he resigned his seat and returned to Pakistan to take part in politics here. He was considered a close friend of Nawaz Sharif, and served as a mediator between Nawaz and former army ruler General (retired) Pervez Musharraf.
After a comfortable stint as the PML-N appointee for governor Punjab from 2013 to 2015, Chaudhry Sarwar parted ways with the PML-N and joined the PTI, who also appointed him Punjab governor in 2018. He unceremoniously quit that office in April last year. Since then, Sarwar has been criticizing the PTI’s leadership and its conduct.
According to his own account, Sarwar was forced to process the resignation of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, in violation of procedure and constitutional requirements, after which he tendered his own resignation as governor Punjab.
The PPP is eyeing Sarwar for a key position in central Punjab, and wishes to adjust Jehangir Tareen with Ahmed Mahmood to secure south Punjab
Former PTI stalwart Jehangir Khan Tareen has meanwhile made it clear that he has no plan “for the time being” to constitute a political group or party. Tareen was reportedly facing some health issues, but sources assert he has now recovered fully and is working on getting his disputed disqualification set aside through legal recourse.
Sources close to Sarwar and Tareen confirm that both held initial consultations in an earlier meeting in Lahore, and utilized that opportunity to take their confidants inside and outside Parliament into confidence. “Different options were discussed to play active role in future political set up,” sources hypothesized.
It may be noted that both politicians also met leaders of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) separately. According to unconfirmed reports, the PPP will offer Chaudhry Sarwar a senior party position in PPP central Punjab, but no final decision has so far been taken in the matter.
Sources privy to the meetings claimed that Chaudhry Sarwar could become a suitable candidate for the PPP in central Punjab, while Jahangir Tareen would be the most eminent choice for PPP in south Punjab.
