PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE: Despite Nawaz Sharif’s promise to extend all-out support to Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s ‘Azadi march’, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would only continue to verbally back the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F’s) sit-in, senior party leaders said.
Even Maryam Nawaz, who has always towed her father’s line, would not participate in the sit-in, party sources added.
Maryam’s secretary and a senior a party leader said that she would not resume any political activities to solely focus on her father’s health.
They said that Maryam did not get a chance to accompany her mother when she was ill. So given Nawaz’s health condition, she would spare no time for anything else.
The leaders further said if their party was not a part of the sit-in, it also did not want to leave Maulana alone at this juncture.
“Maulana is out fighting for the entire opposition parties. We may not agree with his route but we surely share all his concerns and back all his demands,” they said.
“Leaving Maulana on his own will strengthen the government and will not go in the favour of any opposition party. PML-N will keep its token presence,” they added.
Other leaders maintained that PML-N was the party in waiting which would take the reins of government and so it did not want to set any wrong trend for others to follow.
The PML-N stalwarts observed that they would want to pursue the idea of an in-house change for which pressure could be exerted through democratic means.
They said that before leaving Maulana would give his road map for further protests.
PML-N Lahore President Pervaiz Malik said that his party was keeping its word of supporting the movement.
Malik declared that he was not aware of JUI-F’s plan of ending the sit-in but hoped that an understanding would soon be reached.
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