PML-N lashes out at Bugti for suggesting Nawaz's arrest

Furious PML-N turns against Bugti after Nawaz ‘insult’Sana, Marriyum ask interior minister should speak as per his political statureRizwan ShehzadISLAMABADInterim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday faced the wrath of the PML-N on Tuesday after he said its supremo and former premier Nawaz Sharif could be arrested if he did not acquire bail before his return to the country on October 21.

The volley of statements and the language used against the caretaker interior minister made it feel like the PML-N just fell short of literally punching him in the face as Bugti was told in a rebuking tone that he was holding the position for a limited time period and should speak as per his political stature.

The PML-N leaders, including former interior minister Rana Sanaullah and former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, not only lashed out at Bugti but warned him that he should see what has happened to Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid before issuing a statement against Nawaz in an “attempt to increase his political stature”.

They chided him by saying that it would not be the decision of the federal interior minister where would Nawaz proceed from the airport as only the party supremo and people -- activists and supporters --would decide that.
The PML-N leaders told Bugti to worry about other matters than their party supremo.

Following the threatening statements by the PML-N leaders, Bugti issued a clarification wherein he wrote that his statement was quoted out of context and given a political angle.

It all started when Bugti, while giving an interview to a private TV news channel, said Nawaz would be arrested if he failed to acquire bail, adding that neither any special preparations, nor a big army was required to arrest an accused person.

During the interview, Bugti said an airport was a sensitive area and no mob would be allowed to proceed there.
In the same breath, Bugti told the host that he thought that Nawaz himself wanted to be arrested just like on the previous occasion when he returned from London before the 2018 elections after being sentenced to prison by an accountability court in a corruption reference.

The interim interior minister said Nawaz along with his daughter had surrendered knowing what awaited for them at the airport in 2018.

However, without naming anyone, he said in the subcontinent there was only one leader who was afraid of going to jail. He added that he had never heard about any leader trying to resist their arrest.

To the host’s objection that it was a biased statement, Bugti replied that it was the truth even if it was labeled as one.

Following the interview, the PML-N leaders lashed out at Bugti for giving a statement about arresting Nawaz, who had gone abroad on medical grounds with the court’s permission for four weeks but returning after almost four years.

In these four years, the former three-time premier has been declared a proclaimed offender and he and his party have been mulling for a long time on how to ensure a risk-free environment for his return to the country.

In response to Bugti’s statement, Sanaullah, who himself would often boast about crushing his opponents while in power and earned the title of “Hakeem Sahib”, threatened the interim minister about the end of Sheikh Rashid when he spoke against Nawaz.

Rashid was recently arrested but has not yet been produced before any court and remains “missing”.

Former federal information minister Marriyum was another PML-N leader, who rebuked the interim interior minister by saying that Bugti should keep his force ready for providing security to the people.

Both Sanaullah and Marriyum said Nawaz was “falsely convicted” and the country was ruined in an attempt to take “revenge” from him.

“From 2017 till now, false propaganda and conspiracies have done a lot of injustice to the people, [but] not anymore!” Marriyum maintained.

In response to the criticism, Bugti claimed that he was misquoted.

He said a large number of people were preparing to welcome Nawaz, adding that the PML-N supremo would be treated as per the law on his return and the interim government would work as per its mandate.

Commenting on the situation, some political commentators said the party had lambasted Bugti as he as well as interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar belonged to the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and former premier Shehbaz Sharif, along with the National Assembly’s leader of the opposition, who had now joined the PML-N, had nominated the caretaker PM for the post.

Surprisingly, the PML-N and BAP -- a party considered to be the brainchild of the establishment – has a bitter past.
BAP’s candidate for the Senate chairman’s post, Sadiq Sanjrani, had defeated the PML-N-backed candidate despite having less number of votes on paper.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had even chided the PPP leadership for taking BAP’s support at a time when the the two coalition partners  were at odds over the position of the leader of the opposition.

Soon everything was forgotten and the PML-N president Shehbaz nominated BAP’s Kakar as the interim PM.

Now, the political commentators conjectured that the PML-N and BAP might form an alliance in Balochistan in the coming general elections, saying that Bugti’s retraction could also be taken as an indication to keep matters smooth for a future alliance.