PML-N CEC resolves to oust incumbent govt

Party leaders delegate all decisions to supremo Nawaz Sharif

LAHORE:

The PML-N Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Monday reiterated its commitment not to give any more time to the incumbent government and to use constitutional, legal and political options to oust it and delegated all decisions to party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

In the CEC meeting held through video link, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has been empowered and asked to contact Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), and request him to convene a meeting of the opposition alliance as soon as possible.

PML-N leaders Nawaz, Ishaq Dar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Abid Sher Ali participated via video link from London while Shahbaz, vice presidents Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz as well as Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar joined from Lahore.

Central and provincial leaders of CEC also participated in the meeting through video link.

All the members in the meeting expressed unconditional confidence in the PML-N supremo.

The overall situation of the country was discussed in detail in the meeting.

The PML-N president briefed the CEC members on luncheon meeting with former president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at his residence on Saturday.

Shehbaz apprised them of the suggestions made by the PPP regarding the no-confidence and long march and the points put forward by the PML-N.

All the members also expressed their views in the meeting while final guidance was sought from Nawaz.

Read PML-N tamps down chatter about Nawaz’s return

Sources said that some leaders at the meeting spoke openly in favour of and against the no-confidence motion.

The ones opposing the move said that if the no-confidence motion fails at a time when the general election is approaching, it will strengthen Prime Minister Imran Khan politically, “so we have to make a very thoughtful decision”.

According to the sources, the CEC has handed over the final decisions to Nawaz, on which he has directed Shehbaz to expand the consultation process and talk to the PDM constituent parties and formulate a consensus strategy so that effective action could be taken against the government.

After the meeting, Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal while briefing the media said that in the meeting of the CEC, the current political and economic situation of the country were reviewed in detail and all participants agreed to it.

He said that Pakistan which was on the path of development and prosperity in 2018 in which the process of economic recovery and peace and stability was getting better and better, has been ruined in the last three-and-a-half years.

“Pakistan's economy has been destroyed. Pakistan is in the grip of debt. Mega scandals have cropped up in corruption in every sector. The government ministers and the government are involved in the worst form of corruption which has resulted in Pakistan being ranked worst in the international arena."

“Pakistan is alone at the diplomatic level, inflation has reached the level that it is impossible for the common man to survive as every profession is worried.”

Iqbal said that the participants of the meeting agreed that in view of the plight of the people and the internal and external crises of the country, “giving more time to the incumbent government is a serious threat to the security of the country”. “Don't give the government any more time.”

Expressing full confidence in Nawaz, he said, the party has given him the power to take all decisions in order to save the country and the nation from serious problems in the current situation. “Take all constitutional, democratic and political steps as soon as possible to get rid of the most incompetent and corrupt government.”

He said that the meeting empowered Shehbaz to expedite the process of liaison and consultation with other political parties across the country to formulate a strategy based on national consensus to fulfil the desire of the people to send the government packing.

The meeting also authorises the party president to contact the PDM chief and other leaders and take them into confidence in the light of the CEC's decisions and in consultation with the opposition alliance, request to convene a meeting as soon as possible to move forward with consensus and joint decisions from the PDM platform at the national level.

He said that the meeting has decided to fully support the PDM's long march on March 23 and participate in it fully. The meeting also endorsed the decisions of reconstituting the party's parliamentary board and setting up a new manifesto committee.

Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that in view of the plight of the people, the government’s incompetence and failure in every field, the party agrees that PM Imran Khan should go.

In her statement on Twitter, she said that as long as the PTI is in power, the problems of the people will increase. “Not a single [CEC] member disagreed on this point.”

In another tweet, Maryam said that all of the CEC members in the meeting, expressed full and unconditional confidence in Nawaz and the party would support all the decisions taken by him.