–No Sindhi, Pashtun or Baloch politician elected to top office in Centre
–Former PML-N KP president says PML-N is not personal property of any single family, vows to protest discrimination
ISLAMABAD: The recent revamp in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has irked the party’s leaderships in Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces as almost all prominent offices in the central leadership have been doled out to members from central Punjab.
Last week, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif approved major changes to the party’s structure, with former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi being named the PML-N senior vice president while Maryam Nawaz was appointed the vice president of the party.
The party reshuffle proved to be the official launching of Maryam, the daughter of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, who is being viewed as potential successor to Nawaz Sharif.
A senior party leader told Pakistan Today that the restructuring of the party was aimed at the official launching of Maryam as the new party leader as Nawaz Sharif was taking a back seat.
“As Nawaz Sharif has returned to jail, Maryam has been launched officially to steer the party. So a transition of leadership is taking place in the PML-N. The core team of Maryam Nawaz has also been included in the new organisation as Talal Chaudhry, Mohammad Zubair, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Miftah Ismail – all have been accommodated in the new team,” the senior leader said.
The PML-N leader said that Nawaz loyalists have also been accommodated in the new organisational structure to support Maryam.
“The close comrades of Nawaz Sharif have also been included in the ‘Maryam Club’ who would be there to provide intellectual support to her. Whether it is Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal, Pervez Rashid, Pervaiz Malik, Mian Javed Latif, or Mushahidullah Khan – all are there to support Maryam,” the source added.
The source said that Asma Barjees, the daughter of Barjees Tahir, is also a member of Maryam’s media cell and her association with her has won a seat for her father in the Centre.
Hanif Abbasi, another associate of Maryam Nawaz, has been given the slot of party’s senior vice president in Punjab. Miftah Ismail, another aide of Maryam, has been named general secretary of the PML-N Sindh while Ali Akbar Gujjar the senior vice president. This is the first time that the party doesn’t have any slot for a leader from Interior Sindh into party’s central or Sindh chapter.
SMALLER PROVINCES IGNORED:
Another PML-N leader believes that by ignoring the smaller provinces in the new team, the PML-N has shrunk the party into a “GT Road Club”.
“The party’s top leaders from Balochistan have been totally ignored. Raheela Durrani, a political nobody, is the only office-bearer from Balochistan. Other than Durrani, there is none from Balochistan where the party ruled for five years,” the party leader said.
The PML-N leader opined that Interior Sindh had also been overlooked and only Mohajirs had got some slots.
“Mohammad Zubair and Miftah Ismail are close to Maryam so they are there on top. Mushahidullah Khan is a Punjabi Mohajir while Dr Darshan is also a minority representative from Karachi,” the source added.
Likewise, KP Chapter has totally been ignored in the new setup. Previously secretary-general slot always went to KP but this time around the slot has been given to Ahsan Iqbal, another loyalist of Sharifs.
The PML-N has also named a 13-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) which also carries majority nominations from central Punjab. The team includes Shehbaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, Mohammad Zubair, Miftah Ismail, Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Musaddik Malik, Ali Pervez Malik and Bilal Azhar Kiyani.
Talking to Pakistan Today, former KP president of PML-N Pir Sabir Shah said “After Punjab, KP is the biggest powerhouse for the PML-N. If Muslim League is turned into a regional party of a part of Punjab, it is a plot against the federation of Pakistan”.
Vowing to take up the matter to the people’s court, Shah said that the Muslim League is not a personal property of any single family. “We will resist all such designs. We will contact the people of KP and also with the party leadership and would raise our voice high at all levels,” he vowed.
NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NAWAZ, SHEHBAZ:
The leader said that it seems as if there was no difference between Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif and both had agreed that the same arrangement would continue between the two families.
“It looks like that Maryam Nawaz would now lead the party in the Centre and Hamza Shehbaz would replace his father in Punjab. It is obvious as Hamza is now the opposition leader in Punjab and Maryam is all set to lead the party in the Centre,” the leader argued.
Both Maryam and Hamza were previously named members of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).