Army Amendment Act: PML-N tasks office bearers for damage control

Pervaiz Malik says party’s position in NA created confusion among workers

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Pervaiz Malik said on Wednesday the party would soon instruct its district office bearers to sensitise people regarding the necessity of supporting the extension bills concerning tenures of the services chiefs and chairman joint chief of staff committee.

The PML-N’s leadership decision to support the Army Amendment Act has left many in the rank and file of the former ruling party red-faced, as they believe that the decision has practically smothered ideology of the party.

Other party leaders have claimed that the PML-N has not yet zeroed in on any damage control campaign as it was not the right time to do so.

“There is a general confusion on our position to support the extension bill [on tenures of the services chiefs and chairman joint chief of staff committee]. But people will soon realise the thought process behind leadership’s decision,” Malik said while talking to The Express Tribune.

He said that political parties have to adhere to the “ground realities”. In essence, passage of the bill was supremacy of the Parliament, he added. “We only codified an existing practice.”

Initially, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had advised his party to adhere to parliamentary procedure and not pass the bill in haste. Nawaz had laid down a time-frame for the bill to be considered and voted upon.

The decision still remains with the prime minister, he said adding that the PML-N stance only codified the practice of giving extension when needed for national interest.

Malik said that the PML-N has always been against extensions and the final decision is yet to be formally taken by the party to initiate the practice.

“Since there were no elections in near future, so there was no need of rushing in,” the PML-N leader sai, adding: “They have time to spread the word amongst their supports.”

A senior party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that there was no strategy within the party, as yet, to control the damage caused by party’s position that eventually gave a false impression that “some deal has taken place”.

The party leader said: “The decision was taken to show a good gesture to establishment that has been giving PML-N a rough ride since Panama leaks.” The leader claimed that the party was aware of establishment’s move to divide the party.

“We cannot afford further engagement with the power brokers, so as to give a positive gesture the PML-N supported the decision with high hopes that they will reciprocate,” the leader added.

It was stated that the party has to fight for their survival as they cannot afford continuous battering. The senior leader admitted that the PML-N in its struggle to fight for supremacy of ballot isolated itself.

The leader alleged that the ruling party wanted to confront with the PML-N on the issue but “its leadership was smart enough to smell a trap”.

The decision to accept government’s bill was taken by Nawaz Sharif and there should no confusion in it, the leader said adding that the PML-N could safely bank on PTI’s performance to overcome the ongoing situation.

Senior party leaders such as Khawaja Asif, Rana Tanvir and Rana Sanaullah have also confirmed that the decisions taken by the PML-N were in the light of instructions given by Nawaz.

Interestingly, the likes section of Maryam Nawaz twitter account, that is silent since her bail, suggest otherwise. On January 7, she liked a tweet that stated: “The dilemma is that people attributing false statements to Nawaz Sharif, a person who stood of sanctity of vote, are his own. It was incomprehensible to accept that. A person who stood for sanctity of vote and a person who valiantly faced slew of hardships cannot accept defeat.”