Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: REUTERS
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is set to make ‘active’ public appearances this week and chair related events in line with his policy to ‘shun’ isolation and mobilise public support to deal with any ‘unfavourable’ situation in the near future.
Let alone Qatari prince, not even Modi or Trump can save Nawaz now: Imran
Sharif has remained away from public events since last week when the Joint Investigation Team’s probe report into the Sharif family’s offshore properties surfaced on July 10. He has since not chaired any public event and has presided over internal party huddles-cum-consultative sessions with his close confidantes.
Sources privy to the related developments told The Express Tribune that the party leadership, PM Sharif in particular, would follow an aggressive public interaction campaign coupled with the media strategy to garner support in the face of serious political challenges that have put Sharif’s political survival at stake.
Those calling for PM’s resignation want to destabilise Pakistan: JUI-F chief
In line with this policy, PML-N activists from nearby districts are ‘sneaking’ into the federal capital on the instructions of their leadership to launch an aggressive political campaign in favour of an otherwise embattled Sharif.
Party sources said the prime minister and his top aides are dissatisfied with the performance of the PML-N’s federal and Rawalpindi chapters and have conveyed their displeasure to Federal Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a senior leader of the party’s chapter in the federal capital, and Hanif Abbasi from Rawalpindi chapter, for their apparent failure to put up impressive political shows in recent past when the party needed activists in big numbers to rally behind the N-League’s top command.
Panamagate case: Hussain Nawaz testifies before JIT
Reportedly, instead of the federal chapter, the party leadership is now mainly relying on PM’s Adviser Amir Muqam, who is also president of the PML-N Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter, to ensure maximum support from the provincial chapter.
This, the sources said, was the main reason behind Muqam’s presence in Peshawar on Sunday where he addressed a public gathering and also held a series of meetings with the party’s local leaders to ensure the presence of party workers in the federal capital today (Monday).
The workers are expected to assemble outside the Supreme Court to chant slogans in favour of the prime minister as the apex court is scheduled to hear the Panamagate case.
Panamagate: JIT holds first informal meeting
Muqam confirmed that the purpose of his visit to Peshawar was to mobilise party support for “events taking place in Islamabad”.
He, however, insisted that the move in no way aimed at influencing the Supreme Court. “As Pakistan’s largest political party, we have the right to assemble peacefully and wage political activities. It’s not about the Supreme Court. It’s about countering the venomous propaganda of the parties like the PTI that are seeking stealthy short cuts to get into power,” he told The Express Tribune.
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed party workers to exercise ‘utmost caution’ while targeting the JIT and make sure that the criticism, in no way, is directed at the Supreme Court, PML-N sources said.
Panamagate suspense to end tomorrow
Some senior N-Leaguers, in their informal interactions with journalists, have admitted that the Sharif family’s legal defence in the Panamagate case is marked with serious challenges which is why the party is exhausting conventional political options to complement the legal strategy to deal with the situation.
This issue of the Sharif family’s legal defence against the JIT report figured high in the meeting of the PML-N’s parliamentary party where the younger Sharif is said to have minced no words in stating that the respondents’ defence against the said report was not up to the mark and the Sharif family needed to make adjustments and improvements in its legal team to put up a convincing and effective defence.
The Godfather made its way into SC's Panamagate judgment
So far, reports received from the ruling camp suggested that the party leadership was indecisive over filing objections in the apex court against the damning JIT report today (Monday).
Owing to the absence of some key legal aides of the Sharif family, who are currently abroad, it is possible that the respondents’ side may seek buying time from the top court to file objections.
Moreover, the ruling side is also concerned that if the objections are shot down by the apex court, it would not be left with many options and the result would be obvious.
PML-N starts playing it cool on Panamagate
“Until and unless our legal wizards, who have been dealing with the case for quite a while, sit down and exchange notes to put up a strong case against the JIT report, the results seem obvious.
“This has not happened so far since some key members of our team are ‘missing’,” said a PML-N leader, who has sound knowledge of the legal issues, requesting anonymity.
COMMENTS (4)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ