PML-N holds another meeting sans Shehbaz

Maryam refutes split in party, calls it ‘enemy’s propaganda’

LAHORE:

The PML-N on Thursday held another divisional meeting in Lahore to organise the party at the union council level, presided over by its supreme leader former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from London and in the absence of his brother, its president Shehbaz Sharif.

According to the PML-N Punjab media cell, an organisational meeting for the Bahawalpur Division was held under the chairmanship of the convicted former premier.

The meeting was attended by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal and Punjab President Rana Sanaullah.

Also present were PML-N Punjab Secretary Awais Leghari and senior leaders Saud Majeed, Baligh-ur-Rehman, Khurram Dastgir, Pervez Rashid, Riaz Pirzada and Chaudhry Noorul Hassan Tanveer.

The Bahawalpur leadership was given 30 days to complete the party structure at the union council level with ideological workers.

Addressing the meeting via video link from London, Nawaz said the future belonged to the PML-N and it needed to work hard and prepare for the mounting task of taking care of the country.

He added that the dream on which the country was created would be realised.

“The PML-N is the biggest political party and that it is important for it to complete its organisational structure,” he maintained.

Nawaz said controlling inflation, unemployment and lawlessness was not possible without fixing institutions.

He claimed that Pakistan was moving forward under the PML-N government but “we were made to face one issue after another”. “When this incompetent [PTI] government, tries to fix something, its ends up making matters worse, forcing the people to pay the price for its ineptness.”

He noted that the increase in prices of electricity, fertilisers, dollar and ghee was all evidence of the current government’s “incompetence”.

Sanaullah, while addressing the participants, said the government had tried its best to suppress the voices of political opponents but they had not backed down.

He added that they were not afraid of this “fake” accountability.

“Every member of the PML-N stands with its leadership. The country was progressing but politically-motivated cases have pushed the country backwards.”

The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, PML-N President Shehbaz, who was not present in the last divisional level meeting for DG Khan, was absent from this huddle as well.

The party president’s spokesperson Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan said Shehbaz was never scheduled to attend the meeting and he had other obligations to attend to.

He said the confusion was created because of an earlier statement that Shehbaz and his son Hamza would participate in the meeting.

“Such local-level meetings are presided over by the party’s provincial presidents,” he added.

Maryam, while speaking on the matter, said giving the impression of a split in the party was the “enemy’s propaganda”. “Do not pay any attention to it. There might be differences within individuals, but this is a democratic party. It doesn’t mean that anybody can question the party leadership,” she added. “By the grace of the Almighty, Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif are one,” she maintained.

Interestingly, PML-N MPA from Bahawalpur Khalid Mehmood Baber told The Express Tribune that the party president was to preside over the session to their knowledge.

“But for reason not known to us, he [Shehbaz] could not attend the meeting,” he added.

He said that there were no differences within the party as was being speculated. He noted that while addressing the meeting, Maryam praised her uncle and talked at length about his services for the people of Punjab and the party.

“Maryam further said people had been talking about a divide in the party since the past 30 years,” the MPA added.

Another MPA Muhammad Afzal Gill said they have been tasked to find 30 to 35 ideological workers.

When asked about the ideology, he replied that it was giving “respect to vote”. The MPA insisted that Shehbaz would never disagree with his brother.

However, PML-N MNA from Bahawalpur Mian Najeebuddin Awaisi told The Express Tribune that the party should once and for all decide what narrative it wanted to adopt.

“The PML-N should either empower the party president or bring another person in his place of its choice,” he added. “There is no point having a titular president.”

Najeeb and his brother MPA Muhammad Shoaib Awaisi were unable to attend the meeting on Thursday because of some personal engagements.

The PML-N MNA claimed that it would be good for the party to have one narrative, though in his rural area it did not make much of a difference.

He said there were no two opinions about the fact that the vote in the party was for Nawaz.

“The electables are aware of this fact. They will move forward, not out of love for this narrative, but fearing the consequences of leaving the party or switching sides within.”

On the workings of his party, he said there were political kingdoms instead of political parties in the country. “There are kings and their minions.”