Shifting loyalties

The Shifting loyalties game of musical chairs continues in Pakistan despite turmoil taking place all around. In the latest shift Ijazul Haq, the jaded son of former military ruler Ziaul Haq, merged his hardly-known party Pakistan Muslim League-Zia into PTI after meeting party leader Imran Khan. Ijazul Haq got his political party PML-Z registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan and was allotted, appropriately enough, ‘helicopter’ as the election symbol. Despite being virtually a non-entity in political terms Ijazul Haq has been propped up by the establishment ever since his father passed away and has remained part of many federal cabinets. A singularly uncharismatic personality he stays in the good books of those who matter and keeps changing political loyalties on their instructions. The shifting loyalties bonanza for PTI is pretty much there to see as apart from former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi who joined PTI with ten PMLQ’s MPAs, PMLN’s former federal minister Shaikh Waqas Akram also joined the PTI. Next to follow was president Rawalpindi division of PMLN Sardar Mumtaz Khan also formally joining the PTI. It is expected that several high-profile political persons will line-up to join the burgeoning ranks of a party that is rated to be the most popular. TW