PML-N announces protest rallies against govt after Eid

Senior PML-N leader says PPP will have to win back party’s trust

LAHORE:

After the recent tiff between the PML-N and the PPP over the Senate opposition leader’s slot that left the PDM visibly dismembered, the former, according to a party source, on Thursday decided launching a fresh round of protest rallies, with or without the PDM, against the ruling PTI after Eidul Fitr.

A senior PML-N leader said that an over three-hour long virtual meeting was held in Islamabad, which was presided over by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the meeting reviewed the ongoing political situation and decided the future course of action for the party. “On the instructions Sharif, it has been decided that the PML-N will start a fresh round of protest rallies after Eidul Fitr,” the leader said, adding that the same would be communicated to the Pakistan Democratic Movement in its next meeting.

He said the party hopes and expects that all PDM constituent parties would join the PML-N in its movement. However, he said it has been decided that the party, with or without the PDM parties, would continue with its plan.

“Given the situation, it is felt that the government should not be given a free space that it had got owing to the PDM’s infighting,” he said, adding that the infighting needed to “stop forthwith”.

On the PPP suggestion of bringing in-house change, he said it was decided that the PML-N would agree to any of PPP suggestion of in-house change, whether national or provincial.

“The PML-N feels that any attempt to bring in-house change will require the support of the establishment,” he said, adding that seeking establishment’s support for dislodging the PTI government would be akin to betraying the very cause of “our struggle”.

 

He said that Sharif has instructed the party not to engage in any war of words with the PPP. “Sharif has strictly advised against launching any personal attacks against any PPP leader.”

He said the party feels that this row between the PML-N and the PPP would only embolden the ruling PTI. He said the high-profile party meeting was mainly attended, virtually or otherwise, by Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shehbaz, Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Javed Latif, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khurram Dastagir.

Sharif and Maryam’s spokesperson Muhammad Zubair, the former Sindh governor, said that the party decided that the PPP should lay its plan before the PDM to dislodge the government.

“If the PPP continues to lay the same plan of no confidence motion in Punjab before the PDM, it would not be acceptable to the PML-N.”

He said it was agreed that the PPP would have to win the PML-N’s trust.

Senior PML-N leader Abbasi echoed the same party sentiment during a TV show on Thursday, in which he said that the PPP would have to do something to restore the PML-N and the PDM’s trust.