Moves for merger of PML factions

New moves are taking place in an attempt to unite as many factions of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) as possible with the return of the influential Pir Pagaro to centre stage.

The party, which has a long history in the Pakistan struggle, is today split into at least 11 factions.

Most of these have very limited support, with the most recently created faction, the PML, Quaid-e-Azam (PML-QA), headed by Mian Azhar, now seen as the most influential group.

Attempts to merge PML factions have taken place in the past as well, but with limited success. However, the latest meeting in Khairpur Sindh between two powerful PML leaders has raised new hope.

Mian Azhar met Pir Pagara, a maverick but influential leader, on Saturday to discuss the merger of PML factions including the one led by Pagara.

Pagara is known to be also making his own efforts to contact leaders of various factions, and persuade them to come together.

"We are hopeful that this can be achieved, and our arms are open to all factions," said Azhar, in Lahore.

However, even if several PML factions, some comprising barely a dozen members, do come together, it seems unlikely that a full merger will be achieved.

The pro-Nawaz Sharif PML faction, from which Mian Azhar staged a breakaway last year, is likely to make an attempt to retain its own identity. Indeed, PML-N leaders have claimed recently that various influential PML men "have shown an interest in joining us" and that further details will be provided "in the next few weeks".

Our Karachi Correspondent adds: Pakistan's military government, in search of political support, could be back to betting on old horses and may well be counting on the veteran Pir Pagara to provide it the much needed platform before and after the elections, due between August and October this year.

A broad hint to this effect was available from television footage in the main English news bulletin yesterday. Pakistan Television, which has been treating politicians as pariahs for the last two years, ran footage of Pagara meeting members of the breakaway faction of the Muslim League party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been exiled to Saudi Arabia.

Among those present at the meeting at Pagara's native village in Pir Jo Goth were former interior minister Chaudhri Shujaat, former foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan, and a number of others.

The report said the leaders had discussed ways of uniting the different factions of the Muslim League, the party which had founded Pakistan and which has often been used by dictators in the country to fulfil their political aims.

During the 1965 war with India, Pagara had provided members of his "Hur" tribe to serve as warriors in the Umerkot-Rajasthan sector. He grew close to the army after that, and was patronised by late General Zia-ul Haq. However, he fell from grace in the post Zia era.

Now that elections are round the corner, the military may well be looking for support from political parties.