PML-N serves notice on its own MNA

Javed Latif had indirectly taken a dig at Shehbaz on TV show

LAHORE:

The PML-N on Friday served a notice on its own MNA, Javed Latif, for indirectly taking dig at the party president Shehbaz Sharif, seeking an explanation from him within seven days.

The notice, issued by PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal, read that it had been issued on the instructions of party supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.

It pointed out that Latif had made certain comments and allegations on TV show on September 17 that were “baseless and in violation of party discipline”.

“You are [being] reminded that the PML-N is [the] custodian of democratic traditions and has always played a key role in upholding the principles of democracy,” it added.

“The Quaid [Nawaz] is proud of all his colleagues who have stood shoulder to shoulder with him over decades. The party remains united despite the conspiracies hatched against it by anti-democratic forces.

The recent victory in cantonment board elections is a testimony of our unity and steadfastness.”

The notice further read that the PML-N had a tradition of allowing maximum space to its members to express their opinion within the party in the spirit of true democracy but at the same time a tone and tenor in public discourse, including discussions in TV talk shows, no matter whosoever it came from, in violation of the very ethics and discipline of the party, was intolerable.

In response, Latif said he stood by what he had said about Nawaz’s narrative but he was hopeful that he would be able to explain his position to Shehbaz whenever he called him to do so.

He said he was aware of pain with which the party supreme leader had agreed to issue the notice to him. He added that the notice was a petty thing; he was ready to resign from his National Assembly seat if Nawaz asked him for it.

The MNA said if this sacrifice was required to achieve Nawaz’s goal of civilian supremacy, then he was ready for it.

“If this upsets someone and issuing me a show-cause notice makes them happy, then let it be. What matters is that the party stays united under Nawaz Sharif.”

He said the impression that Shehbaz was not attending divisional level meetings because of him was completely wrong.