Shehbaz’s arrest leaves PML-N in Maryam’s hands

Sources say party leaders have now to follow an aggressive policy against govt, establishment

LAHORE:

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif had told senior parties leaders – PML-N Senior Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal – to lead the biggest opposition party in case of his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

 And Ahsan Iqbal had already called a press conference at 4pm on Monday even before the top graft buster arrested Shehbaz – also leader of opposition in the National Assembly – after the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed his plea for extension in bail.

 However, it was PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz who stole the show and wrested control of the party by calling an emergency press conference in the wake of the arrest.

All the key PML-N leaders except Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khawaja Asif and Saad Rafique were present at the press briefing in which Maryam – who is also one of the vice presidents of the PML-N – lambasted the PTI led federal government and its “sponsors”.

 After the arrest of Shehbaz – the party sources said – Maryam will lead the PML-N and all the party leaders will now have to follow Nawaz Sharif’s aggressive policy rather than Shehbaz Sharif’s policy of reconciliation.

 Maryam has hinted both staging street protests and rallies against the federal government as well as participating in the election campaign for the upcoming Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) polls.

“Now it remains to be seen how far the policies of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are implemented by the PML-N parliamentary leadership,” said a source while requesting anonymity. Both Nawaz and Maryam were disqualified for life in the wake of their conviction in corruption cases in 2017.