Ex-PML-N minister berates incumbent one

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar is a child and his statement is not worthy of a response, his fellow PML-N leader and former portfolio-less federal minister Javed Latif on Thursday said in the wake of the former’s remarks during a news conference that he did not take the allegations levelled by the latter of “voting fraud” seriously.

As two senior leaders -- former interior minister Rana Sanaullah and Latif continue to give statements that are viewed as detrimental to the PML-N’s image, the federal information minister while answering a query during the news conference said both men should forward their concerns within the party.

He added that there was a great deal of leeway within the PML-N to accommodate such criticism while advising the two leaders to speak in line with the party’s policy when in public.

When Tarar was asked again about Latif’s allegations that “voting fraud” had been carried out in the city and a mafia leader, who was also a smuggler, had spent around Rs900 million to buy seats in his constituency, the minister replied that he did not take his accusations seriously.

He also went on to refute Latif’s allegations.

When contacted by The Express Tribune, Latif said that Tarar was a child so it was better not to pay any attention to what he had said.

Sanaullah and Latif are taking positions that by and large are seen as damaging for the PML-N.
Latif has been leveling allegations of rigging, accusing the authorities of having sold seats to the highest bidder.

Sanaullah too in many of his interviews in a cryptic manner alleged that his party had not been given the mandate of a simple majority that they were promised.

Secondly, he has been very candid about the overshadowing role of the ‘powerful circles’ in the federal cabinet.

The positions taken by these two leaders are being seen skeptically by many -- as the PML-N’s escape plan.

Given that the PML-N is enjoying the same-page equation with the ‘powerful circles’ with control over two most important governments -- one in the Centre and the other in Punjab -- these positions are being seen as a veiled attempt to keep the ‘escape hatch’ open for party supremo Nawaz Sharif, who of late has limited himself to provincial affairs.

It is believed that if by any chance matters went sideways, this narrative is being built by PML-N’s Sanaullah and Latif that will be used as a foundation stone to a construct a new one of actually being the victims.