he Awam Pakistan Party, a newly-established political group consisting mainly of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz dissidents, has yet to prove itself. The party and its convener, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister, are in the spotlight, strengthening the impression that the country’s powerful quarters might support the party and that they can be a part of the big picture in the future.s

Political analysts are still trying to find out who exactly is behind the APP’s emergence. For his part, Abbasi has sought to dispel the impression that elements in the establishment were behind the group.

As a former prime minister, Abbasi has the reputation of a visionary leader. However, he has faced several controversies and allegations of corruption in the past. When Maryam Nawaz Sharif was appointed the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief organizer, during the Pakistan Democratic Movement government, Abbasi resigned from his party office. Later, he also quit the party. APP secretary Miftah Ismail, the former finance minister, had left the party after he was replaced by Ishaq Dar in 2023. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a former Pakistan Peoples Party senator, seen by some as hawkish, who left the PPP citing policy differences, also joined hands with Abbasi and Ismail to start a series of seminars on ‘reimaging Pakistan.’ The focus appeared to be on changing the system through wide-ranging reforms.

The party, formed in May 2024, has yet to set up an organisational structure. Former Khyber Pakhtunkhawa chief minister Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and former Punjab minister Zaeem Qadri have joined the APP. Till now, the PML-N dissidents have been running the group. However, some recent statements by leaders of some other parties suggest that the APP and Abbasi might gain more prominence on the political horizon.

Before the APP, Pak Sarzameen Party and Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party were launched by leaders and workers leaving the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

Recent statements by Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Makhdoom Jamil-uz Zaman have once again attracted the media’s attention to the APP.

Addressing the media in Lahore on August 11, Achakzai, the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chairman who also heads the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Aain (Movement to Protect the Constitution), said that the current government should quit and a national government, led possibly by Abbasi, should take the country forward by holding fresh elections.

“All parties must sit together and reach a consensus by overcoming their differences and install a suitable person like Abbasi to lead the interim set-up and let the winner of the forthcoming election run the country.”

Interestingly, the PTI stalwarts Asad Qaiser, Sardar Latif Khosa and Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan were present when he proposed a national interim setup.

Abbasi is seen by some as a principled and down-to-earth person. When the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif for the office of prime minister in 2017, Sharif chose Abbasi as his replacement. Abbasi is now contacting other PML-N leaders to persuade them to join his party. 

A similar statement came from Sindh where Makhdoom Jamil-uz Zaman, a Pakistan Peoples Party leader, urged the army chief, General Asim Munir, to intervene and restore peace in Sindh.

Talking to reporters in his hometown, Hala, he expressed deep concern over the increasing frequency of robberies in Sindh and banditry in the region. “This is the main reason behind the exodus of the Hindu citizens to other countries.” The PPP MNA also criticised the provincial government, saying Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had failed to control the robbers.

“The migration of Hindu citizens is a conspiracy against the PPP. The community is a crucial part of our vote bank in Sindh. Their migration will weaken the party in its stronghold. Gen Asim Munir should visit northern Sindh and hold direct meetings with the local parliamentarians to gauge the gravity of the situation.”

Jamil did not stop there. He also said that the ‘conspirators’ had already ruined the PPP in the Punjab and were now eying Sindh. “We won’t let this happen. We must change the system in Sindh. To this end, we are in contact with like-minded people,” he added.

Jamil is the son of late Makhdoom Amin Fahim, once president of the PPP-Parliamentarians. Fahim was known for being close to Gen Musharraf, who famously offered him the premiership after the 2002 elections. Fahim, however, declined the offer and remained loyal to the PPP led by Benazir Bhutto. Later, Musharraf offered him the Sindh government with his son Jamil as the CM. However, Fahim was unable to get the go-ahead for the proposal from Ms Bhutto. In an interview with this scribe, Fahim admitted that Gen Musharraf had indeed made these offers.

There is a general perception in the PPP that Jamil, the political and spiritual heir of his influential father, enjoys good relations with the powerful quarters. Therefore, his statement should not be ignored. The like-minded people he mentioned in his statement might include the APP leadership.

Abbasi, is the political successor of Khaqan Abbasi, once a close aide to Gen Zia-ul Haq. The elder Abbasi was a federal minister in Muhammad Khan Junejo’s 1985 cabinet. He was known for his close ties with Gen Zia and other powerful persons during the martial law because of his Pakistan Air Force background.

Shahid Abbasi is known as a gentle, humble and principled person. When the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif for the office of prime minister in 2017, Sharif chose Abbasi as his replacement. Abbasi is now contacting other PML-N leaders to persuade them to join his party.

The writer is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and analyst. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher