Humiliated and snubbed by the PPP and it’s leader, it’s time Aitzaz launched his own party now.
PPP, PML-N smile secretly over boycott by Aitzaz
Friday, December 14, 2007
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: Neither the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) nor the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is displeased with Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan’s decision to boycott the Jan 8 elections, honouring the resolution of the lawyers community. “Aitzaz probably informed the party leadership about his decision to stand down from the electoral contest, but I have to check about it from Benazir Bhutto,” her spokesman Farhatullah Babar told this correspondent. Babar said the PPP was not unhappy with Aitzaz because of his decision that he took in his capacity as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). “He has to go with the lawyers community.” The spokesman said that the PPP had its covering candidate in NA-124 Lahore where Aitzaz was its nominee. But he could not recall his name.
PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told The News that Aitzaz’s decision was in accordance with the determination of the lawyers’ community. “As far as our party is concerned, Nawaz Sharif had declared Aitzaz not only his but the entire Pakistani nation’s hero when he had visited his Lahore residence.”
Ahsan Iqbal said the PML-N was all set to support Aitzaz’s election to the National Assembly but after his withdrawal it would review its policy in NA-124 afresh.** The polls boycotters, including Jamaat-e-Islami’s Qazi Hussain, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf’s Imran Khan and others, received Aitzaz’s decision well. They have found a relentless campaigner sharing their stand. However, Aitzaz may feel uncomfortable in the company of the Jamaat-e-Islami due to his ideological moorings.** In all national elections, Aitzaz had been a winnable PPP candidate. This time too, his electoral victory seemed to be a fait accompli. But he decided to stand with the lawyers’ community he heads. However, many describe his decision too late. His admirers have swelled manifold because of his successful fight in and out of the Supreme Court for restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that has left a deep impact on Pakistan’s political horizon. After that, the lawyers community has emerged as a powerful force.
Aitzaz’s fans viewed with a pinch of salt his application to the PPP for the National Assembly ticket, particularly after he was ignored when following the triumphant culmination of the lawyers’ struggle, he went to Britain and Ms Bhutto did not meet him for days. He also did not receive any congratulatory message from her when he had an almost clean sweep in the Supreme Court bar elections. Despite all this, Aitzaz was among those ticket holders of the PPP who made a contribution of two buses each from Lahore for the Oct 18 reception of Ms Bhutto in Karachi when she had returned to Pakistan after over eight years’ exile. When the lawyers’ leaders, including the presidential candidate Justice (retd) Wajihuddin, were lobbying all over Pakistan, appealing to the political parties for the election boycott, Aitzaz continued to keep the PPP ticket. Due to this campaign, it became well neigh impossible for Aitzaz, being the SCBA president, to remain in the electoral contest. Despite his long association with the PPP, he is being treated as a kind of stranger in it. In private discussions, senior PPP leaders have been speaking against Aitzaz (maybe out of jealousy). Before Ms Bhutto flew into Pakistan on Oct 18, Asif Zardari, in a chat with The News from New York, had pooh-poohed Aitzaz’s popularity and said that many PPP leaders who appeared to be very popular at one point of time became nonentities when they left the party. Aitzaz had been aware of adverse sentiments against him in the PPP but he continues to be with it. He is waiting for his own timing to say goodbye to it.
