–Several federal ministers decide to distance themselves from Nawaz’s anti-army tirade due to public outrage
–Shehbaz says he will beg supremo to review his narrative which will take the party nowhere
–Only a limited number of ministers, lawmakers owned Nawaz’s narrative during parliamentary meeting
–Scuffle between Javed Hashmi’s supporters and protesters in Multan
MULTAN/SIALKOT: The ‘anti-establishment’ campaign launched by ruling party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and supported by his loyalists has come back to bite the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with a number of federal ministers deciding to distance themselves from the narrative, Pakistan Today has learned.
Inside sources claim that at least five ministers are reluctant to support Nawaz’s narrative and expressed their reservations during the PML-N’s parliamentary meeting at Punjab House.
The splinter group, led by Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, includes Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Abdur Rehman Kanju and Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Riaz Pirzada, sources added. They voiced their concerns over Nawaz’s statement where he hinted at Pakistan’s involvement in 2008 Mumbai attacks.
During the parliamentary meeting, these federal ministers were of the opinion that it had become difficult for them to go in their constituencies and campaign for the PML-N in the 2018 General Elections amid Nawaz’s controversial narrative that has been causing public outrage.
Leghari said that under the current circumstances, he would not be able to run election campaign and if the current conditions persist, a situation similar to that of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) during 2013 elections would be created for PML-N. Similarly, Kanju warned that Mian Sahab’s narrative will continue to cause public outrage despite the PML-N’s five-year performance including development projects. He recalled that the lawmakers were attacked by angry protesters during the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat issue.
“If the situation persists, we would not defect to any other party but stay in our homes. We will not be able to contest elections despite having the party tickets,” he warned.
Javed Ali Shah shared the same views and expressed grave concerns on the ex-PM’s narrative. He told the leaders that despite being loyal to the party, their advice is not being taken seriously, adding that they have to face the people while their constituencies are becoming strongly outrageous.
SHEHBAZ SHARES CONCERNS:
After a number of lawmakers and party leaders showed concerns, party President Shehbaz Sharif admitted to sharing their views and announced to beg the supreme leader to review his narrative as it would take them nowhere.
On the other hand, only a limited number of lawmakers and ministers defended Nawaz. These included Daniyal Aziz, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Tallal Chaudhry and others. No other person defended the supremo’s campaign while the entire parliamentary party warned that they will sit at homes and not go out in the field due to the increasing public outrage.
It was reported on Thursday that during the meeting of the party leadership, Shehbaz lashed out at the person who arranged Nawaz Sharif’s interview with a local English daily, adding that he was no friend of Nawaz’s. Meanwhile, taking exception to his brother Shehbaz Sharif and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statements regarding his interview, Nawaz Sharif chided them both and asked them to support his stance. He said that he would stick to his guns and stand by his stance he took in the said interview.
While party’s senior leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has been avoiding party meetings since his clash with the party’s top leadership, Khawaja Saad Rafique has joined the angry leaders’ club after being blamed by Sharif’s close associate of being an ‘agent of the establishment’ and for playing a double role in the party.
Several PML-N MNAs from South Punjab were of the opinion that Nawaz’s recent statement on the Mumbai attacks and the government’s role in the Khatam-e-Nabuwwat amendment earlier damaged the reputation of the party.
JAVED HASHMI’S SCUFFLE:
Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Javed Hashmi was targeted in a scuffle where demonstrators in his hometown raised slogans against the ruling party.
In Multan, when Hashmi came out of the mosque after offering Friday prayers, angry protesters allegedly tried to manhandle him. They shouted and threatened him over his recent anti-army remarks.
A video of the incident also came to light in which Hashmi is talking to media when a group of enraged demonstrators verbally and physically assaults him. The situation gets out of control as a row erupts between both groups.
The shoe-wielding protesters also raised slogans against the ruling party for its ‘anti-establishment’ narrative. They express solidarity with the institutions, including the armed forces.
It is worth mentioning that a few days ago, Hashmi had held a fiery press conference in Multan in which he asked the urged the establishment to respect politicians and the civil institutions, including the Parliament. “Army is not our mother or father. Instead, Pakistan and parliament are our father and mother,” he asserted.
A number of PML-N leaders have been attacked in the recent past by angry mobs. The most recent was that in which Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal survived an assassination attempt when he was shot by a man after a public meeting in Narowal. The gunman Abid Hussain, 21, showed affiliation with the hardline religious party Tehreek-i-Labaik Party, and admitted to targeting Iqbal over the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat issue.
