— Minister says it is not right time to compare ex-PM’s daughter to Benazir Bhutto
— ‘There is no discussion within party to make Kulsoom Nawaz prime minister’
Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Monday said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz needs to be cautious when addressing public meetings.
Speaking exclusively to the Geo News channel, he said that the former first daughter was like a younger sister to him. “Maryam has been working hard. However, it is not the right time to compare her to Benazir Bhutto,” he said.
“She needs to be cautious when speaking (publicly),” he said, adding that Nawaz Sharif would soon return to the country, but denied there was any discussion within the party to make Begum Kulsoom Nawaz the prime minister.
He denied rumours of rifts within the ruling party and said that everyone was united under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership. “Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is our senior and he has his own opinion,” he said. The minister said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami should learn from the NA-120 by-election result.
Commenting on Nawaz Sharif’s ouster, he said that had they confronted the establishment’s disqualification of a sitting prime minister, then it would have made the circumstances worse. He said that he was against family politics. However, he said that it was the right of politicians’ children to come to the fore if they struggle.
Saad also said that the Indian military fanning hatred in Afghanistan and Balochistan and it was necessary to respond to them in a fitting manner. “India is a major country and it will have to demonstrate maturity to restore peace in the South Asian region,” he said.
Maryam actively campaigned for PML-N’s candidate for NA-120, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, after she had to leave for the UK to seek medical treatment for cancer. During the run-up to the elections, Maryam addressed numerous gatherings and rallies of PML-N workers and supporters. The PML-N won the NA-120 constituency by-polls, according to unofficial results.