Reconciliation?: Zulfiqar Khosa ready for talks with Nawaz

Snubbed by party’s ‘reconciliatory’ committee, Khosa softens stance.

LAHORE:

Disgruntled senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Sardar Zulfiqar Khan Khosa has softened his stance and is likely to welcome PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif at his residence, sources told The Express Tribune.

Sources said the change of heart ironically came after Khosa was snubbed by a committee formed by the party to reconcile with the senior leader.

Khosa recently resigned from all political offices due to differences with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while his son, Dost Muhammad Khan Khosa, also tendered his resignation on Friday.

However, it turns out that the elder Khosa has been placated and has given up a list of demands which he was to present before Nawaz.

“I am a Sardar and it is my tradition that whosoever comes at my residence; we forget all the differences,” Zulfiqar said, while talking to his companions.

According to party officials, Nawaz is scheduled to address PML-N workers in Lahore today (Sunday) and will most probably visit Khosa’s residence, before or after the event.

‘Anti-Khosa committee’

Sources within the party said that the PML-N has constituted an “anti-Khosa committee,” which, instead of reconciling with the Khosas, gave them a cold shoulder, forcing Zulfiqar to soften his stance.

The committee comprising Senator Pervez Rashid, MNA Khawaja Muhammad Asif and MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique tried to meet the disgruntled leader, but he refused to speak with them.

Sources close to Zulfiqar claimed that when Dost Muhammad was the minister for local government and community development in Punjab, he removed the department’s then secretary, Khawaja Muhammad Naeem, who happened to be a close relative of MNA Asif. They alleged that due to this reason, Asif had a grudge against Zulfiqar and Dost Muhammad.

Meanwhile, MNA Rafique has openly criticised Zulfiqar Khosa, owing to their enmity since in 2004, when the latter was the party president in Punjab and had served a show cause notice and suspended the former for making statements against the party leadership.

According to party officials, Rafique had lashed out at the Sharif brothers for leaving the country, which Zulfiqar did not take lightly.

Senator Pervez Rashid, meanwhile, has blamed Zulfiqar Khosa over the failure of PML-N’s October 28 rally in the Lahore which gave PTI the opportunity to introduce itself as the third major political party of the country.

Meanwhile, sources said that instead of meeting the committee, Zulfiqar has conveyed his message of reconciliation to Nawaz directly, and according to party officials, the two will most likely reach an understanding.

Nawaz said on Saturday that Zulfiqar is an asset of the PML-N and any differences would be removed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2012.