Pakistan's king-maker drops a
bombshell By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - In a surprise development
on Wednesday, Pakistan's political map was
potentially redrawn with the country's leading king-maker,
Pir Pagara, announcing his separation from the
ruling Pakistan Muslim League to revive his own party, which
he had earlier merged with the PML on the personal
request of President General Pervez Musharraf.
The PML, which dominates parliament, was created
as an umbrella pro-government bloc to serve as an
obedient vehicle for Musharraf to push ahead with his
agenda and to give him a defined role once he eventually
sheds his uniform.
The move by the influential
politician is likely to be followed by other defections
from the PML, and comes amid a number of developments
that will shape the future of Pakistan in the coming
months.
These include military operations in the
sensitive tribal regions to track down foreign
insurgents, a new military initiative in Balochistan
province against nationalist insurgent tribes, the issue
of sending troops to Iraq, and the installation of a
non-political technocrat (Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain) as
prime minister. Further, two generals are due to retire
in October and will need to be replaced, and by the end
of the year Musharraf is bound by the constitution to
choose between one of the two hats he currently wears -
chief of army staff or president. Exiled former premier
Benazir Bhutto is also tipped to return to the country
soon to revitalize her opposition Pakistan People's
Party against Musharraf.
At a hastily
called press conference on Wednesday, Pir Pagara said he
would reinstitute his Pakistan Muslim League
(Functional) party as an independent entity.
Syed Shah Mardan Shah, or Pir Pagara II, is one
of the most powerful spiritual personalities in the
country, with about a million spiritual disciples among
the tribes of Sindh. Over the years he has carved a
career for himself as a king-maker, rather than a
participant in direct politics. His father was a
prominent freedom fighter in British India, from Sindh,
although the ruling British called him a traitor and
hanged him. Later, though, the British sponsored Pir
Pagara to study at Oxford. He returned at the request of
Pakistan's first premier, Liaquat Ali Khan, in the early
1950s, and was launched into national politics on the
PML's platform.
Being the head of an
armed militia called Hur (free and brave man), he supplied
thousands of volunteers to the Pakistan army in the 1965
and 1970 wars against India, which helped him forge deep
ties in the military. On many an occasion he has
publicly stated that "I take orders in national politics
from GHQ", meaning general army headquarters in
Rawalpindi.
Now at this most critical juncture
of national politics, which many analysts are calling a
major transition period, the GHQ's man has turned.
After hearing of Pir Pagar's news, Asia Times
Online tracked him down to his palatial residence in
Karachi, where many of his disciples were gathered. They
regularly shower him with rupees when he makes an
appearance, no matter how brief.
Sitting in his
office in his house, behind a door decorated with the
sign of Scorpio, Pir Pagara was having a meal of fried
fish and lentil. In an hour-long meeting, he relied
mostly on his expressions, rather than his tongue, his
typical way of communicating.
"I think it is the
beginning of the end, isn't it?" this correspondent
asked in reference to Pir Pagara's decision to part ways
with the ruling PML.
"We merged in the ruling
party after the president gave me lots of assurances,
and we were united for the cause of the Pakistan Muslim
League, not for the cause of the rule of Jat [a
reference to the Jat tribe of premier Hussain, who has
appointed Jats to key positions in the PML]. What's your
news from the center?" Pir Pagara asked.
"I
spoke to a few friends in the National Assembly who are
associated with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League and
they are really frustrated. You may agree with me that
ours is a tribal society where different systems work,
and perhaps many may not accept a non-political entity
like the technocrat Shaukat Aziz [Finance Minister and
prime minister-designate] who is not interested in the
ruling party members nor their interests. What's your
feedback?"
Pir Pagara took a bite of his fish
and nodded his head in the affirmative.
Asia
Times Online continued, "You know better than me, in
Punjab, all feudal families have their men in positions
in the army as well as in parliament."
Pir
Pagara's eyes shone and he shook his hands, but his
mouth was busy chewing fish. Finally he said, "But
Saleem, the president's men are guiding him [Shaukat]
the wrong way."
All this while Pir Pagara's
telephone kept ringing and was answered by his men, but
he refused to speak directly to any of the callers,
including one from the highest office of Sindh province
who wanted to ask whether Pir Pagara continued to
support the provincial government there. As this was a
strictly private business, this correspondent took his
leave.
Pir Pagara has reportedly made it clear
that until Musharraf personally speaks to him and
accepts his complaints about the present and future
premiers, he will not listen to or meet with anybody.
Whether or not Pir Pagara changes his mind, the
first real bullet of dissent has been fired and the game
is on.
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