PML-N mulls over Nisar expulsion

Party leaders suggest running as independent was proactive move to allow him to leave on own terms

ISLAMABAD: Amid escalating tensions between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership and disgruntled former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the N-League’s top command is mulling over expelling him from the party before he himself proceeded to part ways.

Nisar last Sunday had come down hard on his party leadership while indirectly addressing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.  “I ask the people from Jati Umrah not to ridicule themselves by staging such dramas and not to ridicule me either,” the minister said in a statement.

His words came in the backdrop of reports that Nisar had been informed that appearing before the PML-N parliamentary board awarding election tickets was compulsory.

The ex-minister, however, deemed it insulting to have him appear for an interview or to even apply for a ticket.

“Since when do senior members of the party have to appear before a parliamentary board for party tickets?” he asked in the statement.

The former interior minister’s diatribe is said to have offended the ex-PM and his aides, who were considering formally expelling Nisar from the PML-N by terminating his basic membership. But Nisar anticipated the “hostile designs” of the N-League leadership and announced he was “parting ways” with the PML-N during a charged speech at Adiala, Rawalpindi last Monday. Nisar reportedly also attacked Sharif for “being someone who opposed the rule of women but has put his daughter in the run for the party’s leadership,” but he later denied certain remarks attributed to him.

“He could see it coming. It was a preemptive move,” said an informed source in PML-N of Nisar’s decision to dissociate himself from the N-League.

“It was a timely move – to skip the embarrassment of being ousted from the party after being denied a party ticket. Voluntarily ‘leaving’ and contesting the elections independently means it was Nisar who took the initiative to end his 34-year association with PML-N instead of being ordered out.”

The source denied that Nisar had any plans to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Still, he would adopt a vague policy regarding joining PTI in order to keep the options open. “This would help – to keep PML-N under pressure that would be fearing for the worst if Nisar joins forces with PTI.”

But even without joining the PTI, seat adjustment between Nisar and PTI is possible as Imran Khan’s party may agree to withdraw its candidates on the seats where Nisar and the candidates he supports would contest general polls, sources said. “But things are at a tentative stage, nothing is definite so far,” The Express Tribune was told.

However, a statement issued by Nisar on Monday denied negotiations with PTI over NA-59, PP-10 and PP-12.

Nisar’s press release was followed by a denial from PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry. “We have no seat adjustment with Chaudhry Nisar,” he said, adding that “PTI has directly nominated senior vice-president Ghulam Sarwar Khan. We will field our own candidates throughout Pakistan.”



Internal strife

According to PML-N insiders, members close to former PM Sharif including his daughter Maryam Nawaz, Khawaja Asif, and Ashan Iqbal advised Sharif against awarding a ticket to Nisar. On the other hand, Shehbaz, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, and their backers supported awarding ticket to Nisar, it is learnt.

Discussions with senior PML-N leaders suggest Nisar’s decision to contest the elections regardless of the party’s decision offended Sharif, who is of the view that Nisar should not have announced he was running as an independent before the award of tickets and should have formally applied for a ticket.

Sources in PML-N’s Punjab chapter said Nisar takes pride in declaring that he never applied for PML-N ticket but always got one. “For a person like him, simply applying is an insult,” said a source.

Prior to the latest episode of hostility, Nisar and PML-N leaders close to Sharif also exchanged harsh statements in public a few weeks back. Nisar received a major setback after not being included in the PML-N parliamentary board awarding tickets for the general elections. Just days later, adding insult to injury, Shehbaz likened Nisar to a child “who gets upset and we have to make him happy.”

Last Sunday, the ex-interior minister had his nomination forms for general elections submitted with the Election Commission of Pakistan Rawalpindi office for four seats; two national Assembly and two Punjab Assembly – NA-59 Rawalpindi, NA-63 Taxila, PP-10 and PP-12.

Nisar has been winning National Assembly seats since 1985. He has served as an MNA eight times.

Khan successfully contested and won his home constituency of NA-52 in every election since 1985. The constituency has been split in the delimitation this year, with most of it now falling in NA-59.