Pakistan Muslim League (Q)

The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) or officially Pakistan Muslim League (Urdu: پاکستان مسلم لیگ ق) is a centrist, conservative political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed in 2001 on the instigation of Pakistan's Establishment.

History

PML (Q) is a political party with members such as the Chaudhary's of Gujrat, Pervaiz Elahi and Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain. Factions of the PML-N broke away in 2001 under NAB's pressure to form the Pakistan Muslim League (Q). They are staunch supporters of Pervez Musharraf and consider him their mentor. However, as sometimes mistaken, Pervez Musharraf is not part of the party itself as the President of Pakistan is supposed to be non-partisan and neutral.

Breakaway from PML-N and Founding

The present Pakistan Muslim League (Q) started as a small group of half a dozen like-minded people in the Nawaz Sharif led faction of PML-N, including Mian Mohammad Azhar, Khurshid Kasuri, Syeda Abida Hussain and her husband Syed Fakhar Imam who failed to deliver and are ever since losing elections. Later on, after the 1999 military coup, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also joined the so-called "King's Party" because of unconditional support to then President Pervez Musharraf. Before the general elections in 2002, the group expanded and took the form of the PML-Q.

2002 general elections

During the 20 October 2002 legislative elections, the party won 25.7% votes and 126 out of 342 members.

United PML

In May 2004, various PML factions and other political parties merged with the PML-Q to form a united Pakistan Muslim League (PML), thus leaving out only the Nawaz Sharif led faction of PML. They included former President Farooq Leghari's Millat Party, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi's National People's Party, Arbab Ghulam Rahim's Sindh Democratic Alliance, Hamid Nasir Chattha's PML (Junejo), Pir Pagara's PML (Functional), Manzoor Wattoo's PML (Jinnah), and Ijaz-ul-Haq's PML (Zia).[3] Later on, Pir Pagara led faction called the PML-Functional again parted ways with the united PML, which led the number of parties being called Pakistan Muslim League to three; PML-Q, PML-N, and PML-F.

2008 general elections

he Pakistan Muslim League (Q) contested the February 2008 legislative election with other allied parties like Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Muslim League (F), and National Peoples Party.[4] It was believed that the party wanted former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi to become Prime Minister. The PML (Q) lost major parliamentarians in the 2008 general election, gaining only 49 elected seats, and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the PML (N) opposition parties won the election.

PML (Q) Secretary-General Mushahid Hussain Syed said that, although the party had performed "far below expectations", it accepted defeat in the election "with grace" and would become an opposition party. Although in this elections PML-Q could not win but became second largest vote scoring party of pakistan.

Party Leadership

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain is current President of PML-Q. He was elected unopposed, and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed is the Secretary General of PML who was also elected unopposed.

Other leaders

* Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, President PML-Q Punjab
* Hamid Nasir Chattha
* Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq, Senior Vice President
* Senator S.M. Zafar, Senior Vice President
* Farooq Leghari
* Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Senior Vice President
* Senator Tariq Azim Khan, Information Secretary
* Humayun Akhtar Khan, Senior Vice President
* Chaudhry Amir Hussain, Senior Vice President
* Rao Sikandar Iqbal
* Faisal Saleh Hayat
* Sher Afgan Niazi
* Awais Leghari, Senior Vice President
* Arbab Ghulam Rahim, President PML-Q Sindh
* Amir Muqam, President PML-Q NWFP
* Jam Mohammad Yousaf, President PML-Q Balochistan
* Daniyal Aziz Chaudhry of Shakargarh
* Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain
* Chaudhry Shahbaz Hussain
* Sheikh Muhammad Tahir Rasheed, Vice President
* Liaquat Ali Jatoi
* Yar Muhammad Rind, Senior Vice President

Support for military regimes

The President of the party Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his cousin Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi are the biggest supporters of the Musharraf regime. They have been faithful to the general in even the most adverse circumstances.[6]

Shujaat Hussain's father Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi was initially a supporter of General Ayub Khan, but when the governor during his time Nawab of Kalabagh Amir Mohammad Khan favored some of his local opponents, he parted ways with Ayub's Convention Muslim League. He opposed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and later joined Zia's government. He was killed allegedly by Al-Zulfikar organization for his support to General Zia-ul-Haq. After his death, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain continued to support Zia and his Islamization policies. He remained in PML till his party remained the favorite of the military establishment. Once the establishment parted ways with Nawaz Sharif in 1999, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi came to the rescue of the military regime of General Pervez Musharraf and saw their new party PML (Q) win the general elections of 2002. Both the Chaudhry brothers have been accused of many financial scandals including the Cooperative Scandal, sugar scandal and bank loan defaults, but none of them were ever proven or even pursed or trailed by government.