‘PMLQ, opposition close to a deal against PM Imran Khan’

ISLAMABAD: In a potentially explosive development, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PMLQ) is expected to announce its divorce from the ruling PTI and support the opposition’s no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A PMLQ source confided to The News that the decision is likely to be announced soon. The PMLN, which was earlier not ready to consider offering the Punjab’s chief ministership to the PMLQ, is now almost ready to do so.

Nawaz Sharif, the sources said, is being convinced to accept the PMLQ’s condition to get rid of the Imran Khan government. PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has been keenly pursuing the PMLN’s top leadership to accept the demand of the PMLQ.

The source said that an understanding between the PMLQ and the opposition has almost been reached and is just waiting for the final word from Nawaz Sharif. Some PMLN leaders have already conveyed to Asif Ali Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman about Mian Nawaz Sharif’s likely nod in favour of the Chaudhrys of Gujrat.

Background interaction with an informed PMLQ leader also shows considerable positivity in their ranks about joining the opposition. The PMLQ leader said that the most likely decision of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would be to join the opposition and support the no-trust move.

The source said that there is no truth in media reports about the expected meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday. The government is feeding the media wrong news, the PMLQ source said.

In recent days, there have been a series of meetings between the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and opposition's leaders. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, despite his serious health issues, came to Islamabad from Lahore to negotiate a deal with the opposition. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also reached Islamabad on Thursday and is now in the final stages of making a decision.

On Saturday, Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid unleashed an attack on the PMLQ without naming it and said that a party is blackmailing the government and wants the Punjab chief ministership on the basis of only five votes. The elder son of Pervaiz Elahi and federal water minister Moonis Elahi in a counter attack, accused Shaikh Rashid of getting money from the elders of the Chaudhrys during his student days.

The success or failure of the opposition’s no-trust move against the prime minister heavily depends on the decision of the PMLQ. If the Chaudhrys of Gujrat side with the prime minister, the no-trust is expected to be a failure. However, in case they announce that they will join the opposition’s move, the survival of the government will be extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, an important federal minister, who generally boasts of having great connections, told The News on condition of not being named, that something will happen in the next 24 to 48 hours that will turn the tables on the opposition.