Interview: ARD leadership can be rotated says Hashmi

Javed Hashmi, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) group, is a trenchant critic of President General Pervez Musharraf's rule. When many PML stalwarts were deserting former premier Nawaz Sharif after the October 1999 military coup, Hashmi stuck to his guns. In return, the exiled leader gave him the responsibility to lead the party, which he had joined in 1988.

But Hashmi's political career started in early 1970 as a student leader from the Punjab University where he was a member of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba – the students wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Hashmi says he still is a sympathiser of the IJT which got him elected as students union president in 1973. But Hashmi never joined the Jamaat-e-Islami. He was briefly associated with Asghar Khan's Tehreek Istaqlal, but left the party to run in the 1985 elections as an independent for a National Assembly seat, which he won.

Excerpts from the interview:

Gulf news: After the death of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, many analysts see the future of Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) as bleak. Do you think the PML-N and the Pakistan Peoples‚ Party (PPP) would be able to keep their differences in check and continue working together?
Javed Hashmi: Nawbzada's demise is a great loss. He was a cementing force and we do feel his absence. His efforts brought maturity to our politics. The wide gap between the political forces was bridged. Once we were not even on speaking terms with each other, Nawabzada brought us together not just politically, but also socially. He acted as a bridge. We participated in public meetings, held meetings, shared food and chatted together, which helped in a better understanding. I can understand the worries and concerns of some people, but the bridges Nawabzada built are strong. We are ready to sacrifice to accommodate one another, but we cannot sacrifice our principles and democracy.

The ARD leaders will meet on October 7 to decide about who will be the new leader. Who are the main candidates? Do you think of yourself as a suitable candidate?
JH: Individuals are not candidates for the ARD slots, it's the parties which matter. Makhdoom Ameen Fahim is acting chairman of the ARD. The PML and the PPP – being the two mainstream liberal and democratic parties – will find an agreeable formula. We want to involve the parties in the absence of main leaders from the country. One possible option is to rotate the ARD leadership. The second could be that one party can hold the slot of president and the other could go for the chairman's position. We have tried this successfully within the PML. In the absence of the main figures, we could go for a collective leadership.

Will the PML-N agree to give leadership to the PPP? There won't be an ego problem?
JH: There is no ego problem on our side. We are ready to accept the chairmanship of any ARD component party. I am ready to declare that I am not a candidate for the ARD leadership. We will try to decide the matter amicably and with mutual understanding. We want to go for the collective leadership.

There are reports that the PPP and PML -N leaders might opt for a person from the smaller parties to lead the alliance. The name of Nasrullah's son is on top of the list.
JH: There are no hard and fast rules. In ARD all parties are equal and the possibility of a smaller party leading it cannot be ruled out. They (smaller parties) have also sacrificed for the cause of democracy and have given a big contribution. There are no cracks within the ARD. Those who want to see cracks within the ARD will be disappointed.

There has been a merger of five PML factions recently. Was your group also invited to join the move? How do you see this merger?
JH: These are not parties. Anybody who did not get a ticket, formed his own faction. One cannot even come up with the name of these groups' general secretaries. President Musharraf is uniting them. They want surrogates. We refused to become their surrogates. It is for the first time that we have taken a strong stand for democracy. All those who are on that side today never differed with Nawaz Sharif when he was the prime minister – not even Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain. They are on that side because of the NAB (National Accountability Bureau), ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). Many of them just want to cover their corruption. These groups cannot play a role. There are generals, no soldier in those groups. They came from drawing room and went back to the drawing room. They came from the GHQ (General Head Quarters). We are fighting for democracy and supremacy of the constitution. We are fighting for issues while they are fighting for their individual self-interest. We are ready for a united Muslim League if they announce they will stop supporting dictatorship.

Many analysts are very critical of the opposition blocking parliamentary proceedings. Don't you think the opposition could play a more constructive role?
JH: What we are doing are normal parliamentary practice. We have not blocked parliamentary proceedings. They can legislate if they want. There are no hurdles. We can boycott, but our protest is making an impact and is being noticed by the world. We do not want one person to dictate. Musharraf cannot address the parliament because he is not elected by the parliament. We cannot allow a stranger to come and address our house.