–Shehbaz snubs party’s policy of confrontation with military and judiciary
ISLAMABAD: In another caution to the ruling party, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday, went public with his dissent against the policy of the federal government of adopting a hostile posture against the two state institutions – judiciary and military establishment.
A ruling party lawmaker, who also attended the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told Pakistan Today that junior Sharif criticised the policy of bashing the state institutions, adopted by the close aides of the prime minister.
“Shehbaz Sharif snubbed the party’s hawkish leaders, reminding them that it would be a disservice to the party’s cause to turn friends into enemies by uselessly bashing them.
He also urged the prime minister and the party leaders that rather than opening too many fronts, they must help the prime minister by adopting a measured posture and building the case of the ruling family with argument and logic,” the source added.
The source further said that after advising the party colleagues, Shehbaz Sharif directly addressed the prime minister and asked him to shift his focus on the case to be fought in the Supreme Court.
“Shehbaz said that legal matters are needed to be dealt via legality. He said if our case is weak, we should do away with its lacunae rather than making the judges angry,” the source said.
The source added that Shehbaz Sharif, along with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, two days back had held a separate meeting with the prime minister and had advised him not to target the judiciary and military, but rather focus on developing a strong rejoinder to the report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
“The prime minister had taken the advice well. Since Wednesday, the posture of the prime minister’s aides has changed, and gradual insults, criticism, and slurs have been replaced with cordiality,” the source added.
The source said that Chaudhary Nisar had expressed his displeasure publicly and had skipped the parliamentary party meeting to convey a message in this regard too.
An Interior Ministry spokesperson also issued a statement to clear things regarding the absence of the minister from the parliamentary party meeting, stating that the minister could not attend the sitting due to his personal engagements. However, the nature of personal engagement was not shared. Neither was there mention of any official business in the ministry.
Another party leader confirmed the account on Shehbaz Sharif’s advice. He said that all the party lawmakers promised to stand by the prime minister and his family in the trying times.
“Even some party leaders who have been reported to be either angry or estranged were positive about standing beside the prime minister,” the PML-N leader said.
Asked to name a few, he said that Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada, loudly extended his support to the prime minister, saying that it was against the teachings of his late father to ditch a friend in testing times.
“Even some other lawmakers who have been expressing dissent against the party publicly, including Najaf Abbas Sial, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed also vowed to support the prime minister in difficult times.
He said that during his speech, Najaf Sial repeated the famous quote from late film legend Sultan Raahi’s Punjabi movie ‘Maula Jutt’, saying, Maulay noon Maula na maaray tay Maula neion marda.