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Afr sayyaf daughter Married to Panjabi
Islamabad
The sumptuous feast arranged to celebrate the marriage of Mustafa, son of Mushahid Hussain Sayed, with Zalla, daughter of Afrasiab Khattak, turned out to be an all-parties conference, where every leading political party was significantly represented.
Though it was not a (political) marriage between the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Awami National Party (ANP), Mushahid Hussain kept up the tradition of having family bonds with the Pukhtoons. Earlier, one of his sisters was married to a son of former bureaucrat Roedad Khan.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant Khawaja Zaheer, Special Assistant Irfan Siddiqui, Adviser Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant Tariq Fatimi and a number of others belonged to the government. They attended the function in their personal capacity. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and Dr Shireen Mazari, were conspicuous with their presence.
PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former Speakers Illahi Bux Soomro and Syed Fakhar Imam, Ghulam Dastgir Khan, Jan Jamali, and a large number of senators and members of the National Assembly belonging to all the political parties including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were present at the ‘Rukhsati’ and ‘Waleema’, rolled into one, jointly hosted by the two sides.
Besides, a multitude of senior serving and retired bureaucrats, diplomats, intellectuals, media persons and leading national figures and elite of the town attended the grand feast.
Mushahid Hussain, accompanied by his wife, Dr Dushka, and Afrasiab Khattak warmly received the guests matching the occasion. As usual, Mushahid Hussain was joyful and jovial, and introduced the guests, not earlier known to Khattak, in a befitting way. He would not let even a single invitee go without a good exchange of engaging pleasantries and energetic laughter.
The guest list showed that Mushahid Hussain drew it out very carefully not to miss any of his friends and even acquaintances he respected from the core of his heart. He has a very sharp memory and doesn’t forget people he has been close to.
It was not possible for such a wide array of politicians, opinion makers and thinking people, having assembled in such a relaxed ambiance, not to discuss the latest goings-on on the national scene. Every group has its own set of subjects to talk about.
The hot topic was the forthcoming critical round of talks of a four-member committee appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the members of the advisory council of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a couple of days at a location that the two sides had consciously avoided to disclose for their own reasons.
One rather informed guest confided to me that Maj (retd) Aamir, who figured in the dissolved government body, was also invited to the meeting of the new official committee of present and former bureaucrats, and Maulana Samiul Haq led Taliban forum that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan chaired on Saturday, which decided the long awaited date and venue of the parleys.
He was of the view that Aamir attended the crucial session on the special invitation of the interior minister. The retired military officer enjoys good relations with certain Taliban leaders but prefers to work for the “national cause” quietly so that Pakistan gets rid of the menace of terrorism.
Although informed guests prayed for the success of the talks, they were sceptic about a positive outcome. They particularly alluded to the visible distance of the Pakistan army from the process by not formally joining the official committee, and said it had brought down the prospects of a breakthrough.
But one guest, who appeared to be in the know of the government thinking, presented the view that the civilian government and the army were on the same page as the prime minister had been extensively consulting with the top military leadership at every stage. Both the committees were constituted with its consent.
Islamabad
The sumptuous feast arranged to celebrate the marriage of Mustafa, son of Mushahid Hussain Sayed, with Zalla, daughter of Afrasiab Khattak, turned out to be an all-parties conference, where every leading political party was significantly represented.
Though it was not a (political) marriage between the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Awami National Party (ANP), Mushahid Hussain kept up the tradition of having family bonds with the Pukhtoons. Earlier, one of his sisters was married to a son of former bureaucrat Roedad Khan.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant Khawaja Zaheer, Special Assistant Irfan Siddiqui, Adviser Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant Tariq Fatimi and a number of others belonged to the government. They attended the function in their personal capacity. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and Dr Shireen Mazari, were conspicuous with their presence.
PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former Speakers Illahi Bux Soomro and Syed Fakhar Imam, Ghulam Dastgir Khan, Jan Jamali, and a large number of senators and members of the National Assembly belonging to all the political parties including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement were present at the ‘Rukhsati’ and ‘Waleema’, rolled into one, jointly hosted by the two sides.
Besides, a multitude of senior serving and retired bureaucrats, diplomats, intellectuals, media persons and leading national figures and elite of the town attended the grand feast.
Mushahid Hussain, accompanied by his wife, Dr Dushka, and Afrasiab Khattak warmly received the guests matching the occasion. As usual, Mushahid Hussain was joyful and jovial, and introduced the guests, not earlier known to Khattak, in a befitting way. He would not let even a single invitee go without a good exchange of engaging pleasantries and energetic laughter.
The guest list showed that Mushahid Hussain drew it out very carefully not to miss any of his friends and even acquaintances he respected from the core of his heart. He has a very sharp memory and doesn’t forget people he has been close to.
It was not possible for such a wide array of politicians, opinion makers and thinking people, having assembled in such a relaxed ambiance, not to discuss the latest goings-on on the national scene. Every group has its own set of subjects to talk about.
The hot topic was the forthcoming critical round of talks of a four-member committee appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with the members of the advisory council of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a couple of days at a location that the two sides had consciously avoided to disclose for their own reasons.
One rather informed guest confided to me that Maj (retd) Aamir, who figured in the dissolved government body, was also invited to the meeting of the new official committee of present and former bureaucrats, and Maulana Samiul Haq led Taliban forum that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan chaired on Saturday, which decided the long awaited date and venue of the parleys.
He was of the view that Aamir attended the crucial session on the special invitation of the interior minister. The retired military officer enjoys good relations with certain Taliban leaders but prefers to work for the “national cause” quietly so that Pakistan gets rid of the menace of terrorism.
Although informed guests prayed for the success of the talks, they were sceptic about a positive outcome. They particularly alluded to the visible distance of the Pakistan army from the process by not formally joining the official committee, and said it had brought down the prospects of a breakthrough.
But one guest, who appeared to be in the know of the government thinking, presented the view that the civilian government and the army were on the same page as the prime minister had been extensively consulting with the top military leadership at every stage. Both the committees were constituted with its consent.
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