Shehbaz leads rallies amid reports of internal strife

With PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz limiting herself to holding party meetings, Shehbaz Sharif on Friday took charge and led a sizable rally on the peripheries of Lahore City – a move that seemingly lent credence to reports suggesting internal strife.

Shehbaz’s rally came after Maryam opted to limit herself to holding party meetings, following a consensus to refrain from organising a convention-cum-rally for the party's leadership.

In an effort to avoid further harsh criticism, the party had decided earlier this week to cancel rallies in and around Lahore prior to the arrival of party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

The first rally, held at Shahdara, received harsh criticism due to its extremely low turnout. As a result, the event had to be downgraded from a convention to a corner meeting. The second rally, which took place at Thokar Niaz, was widely mocked for allegedly enticing attendees with the promise of monetary gain or free food.

Both of these rallies were led by Maryam Nawaz, who is considered the new face of the party and a crowd-puller.

Read PML-N prioritized state over politics: Shehbaz

In an explanation for the underlying rationale for the decision, it was then stated that the move sought to allow former MNAs and former MPAs to engage with constituents and build momentum instead of focusing on organising rallies and conventions for main leadership which was a time-consuming and costly exercise.

Nonetheless, sources had indicated the decision was taken to save the party from any embarrassment and the reasoning behind this was that regardless of whose fault it is for not holding a sizable rally, it would reflect negatively on the entire party.

According to sources interviewed by The Express Tribune, party leaders were not barred to proceed with planning and addressing a rally on their own. The decision was solely for the main leadership, the Sharif family.

Read more Nawaz's foes now unable to face public: Maryam

Following that, Maryam has been engaged in meetings with union councillors, chairmen, and leaders from various constituencies, though she virtually addressed a rally held in Sanghir, Sindh.

Former MNA Rana Tanveer, in his constituency at Sheikhupura, situated on the outskirts of Lahore city, organised a significant rally despite the decision. The rally was spearheaded by Party President Shehbaz Sharif himself.

Similarly, Hamza Shehbaz is set to lead another rally on the outskirts of Lahore City at Mustafabad. The event, organised by former MPA Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan will also see the participation of Rana Tanveer, both of whom are closely associated with Shehbaz Sharif.

‘Internal divisions’

Meanwhile, Former MNA Waheed has rejected the notion of any internal disagreement within the leadership and clarified that the decision only pertained to Lahore City and not the district at large. He explained that the choice to solely concentrate on Lahore City was aimed at conducting a door-to-door campaign to generate enthusiasm before Nawaz's arrival.

A well-placed source close to Shehbaz Sharif on the other claimed that special permission was sought by both Rana Tanveer and Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan to hold rallies. He said both had claimed that their plan to hold rallies was taken prior to the decision to halt rallies which was why they should be allowed to continue as per schedule.

When asked why the party president attended this rally but not the Thokar Niaz Rally, where the organiser Khokhar brothers are said to be close to Maryam Nawaz camp, he said the party has divided tasks.

If so, then why was Hamza attending the Kasur rally, not Maryam, he said that the decision to hold rallies was in fact a division of labour.

Another source said that after the two debacle, Shehbaz Sharif had to come to the forefront to save the party’s face. He said that if things were left at those optics, they would continue to damage the party even in elections, which was why it was important to undo the damage.

He said that this rally was reflective of the fact that the confrontation approach has no takers in the party support base. People want progress and Shehabz Sharif is the face of that progress. This also breaks the myth of any poster boy in the party. "People will support the one, who would deliver," he added.