Expelled PML-N lawmaker rejoins party ranks

LAHORE:

With the winds blowing in Pakistan Muslim League-N sails, expelled MPA Abu Hafs Ghiasuddin has apparently joined the party ranks, holding his first meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz on Friday after being expelled from the party two years back.

MPA Abu Hafs and four other party members from Punjab were expelled by PML-N in October 2020 for holding meetings with the then Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

PML-N was able to win back one seat back in by-elections after one of the five MPs Nishat Daha died.

All MPs including Abu Hafs strongly criticised the party for its decision of expelling them. Abu Hafs was amongst the loudest critics of the party and the Sharif family.

He had said Shehbaz Sharif, who had vowed to drag PPP co-chairman on the streets of Larkana for plundering national wealth but later forming an alliance with PPP, was a defection of sorts with the party and with the party workers.

He had said they could not stay in PML-N and defend Nawaz Sharif's anti-Pakistan army narrative. He went on to say that they were patriots and could not allow anyone sitting in London to bash Pakistani soldiers.

He had criticised the party leadership for treating its MPs like slaves. He said leadership can raise one slogan one day and do something completely, on the contrary, the next day.

When these MPs were contacted before the hotly contested CM Punjab election, all four announced boycotting the elections.

The expelled PML-N MPAs later came under the spotlight after the disqualification of defecting 25 PTI MPAs which stacked the odds against Chief Minister Punjab Hamza Shehbaz.

It was then that expelled MPAs seemed to have a change of hearts as they announced holding meetings to re-evaluate their decision. However, with PTI losing its governor in Punjab and later with the ECP's decision to hold the five reserve seats till after by-elections, expelled MPs lost their importance as PMLN numerically was stronger than PTI even without the 25 dissident PTI votes.

MPA Abu Hafs, while talking to The Express Tribune, said he was invited by the party to meet with Chief Minister Punjab. He said that during the meeting CM admitted that the party had some misunderstandings owing to which they were expelled.

He said he informed Hamza that he was an old stalwart of PML-N and could not even think about betraying his party. He said that he had never disobeyed any party instructions. When asked about the remaining three members he said that it was better they answer for themselves.

MPA Faisal Khan Niazi said that he was set in his ways and was not even considering joining the party ranks. However, he said that others were likely to join party ranks one by one.

He said that PMLN expelled MPs have missed the opportunity of returning to the party on their terms as the party now was not in any need of them and now it was the expelled MPs who needed the party.

MPA Ashraf Ansari refused to comment on the development.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2022.