Nisar denies contact, being offered any office by PTI 

• Says ready to work with the party but PML-MA would not be acceptable

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) disgruntled leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has dispelled the rumours regarding his meeting with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan saying that neither the PTI contacted him nor was he offered any office by them.

Talking to a private TV channel here on Wednesday, Chaudhry Nisar said that the reports of his meeting with the PTI chief were nothing but ‘kite-flying’. He said that he has already clarified that no contact took place between him and PTI.

The PTI has already denied reports that it is trying to woo Nisar to the party.

Responding to a question whether he would contest the upcoming general elections on a PML-N ticket, Chaudhry Nisar said, “I think you should have asked this question from Mian Nawaz Sharif.”

The former interior minister, who had resigned from the cabinet after developing differences with the party leadership last year, asserted that he was still a part of PML-N. He claimed that confusion in this regard began because of statements of “a person, who sits in his [Nawaz’s] car, comes out and gives absurd statements and goes back in.”

“I would be in a better position to share my stance only after Sharif clarifies whether that person in question does it on his [Sharif’s] directions or not,” he said.

Regarding his meetings with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Nisar said that he held so many meetings with Shehbaz that “it is no news”.

He repeated that the real issue right now was the narrative being played out by Nawaz and Maryam in their speeches and media talks. “It is portrayed as party narrative,” Nisar said, adding that the party should first extensively debate about what its narrative should be.

“I am ready to work with the party irrespective of whether its name is changed to PML-S (Shehbaz) or something else, but a PML-MA (Mehmood Achakzai) would never be acceptable to me,” he added.

He said that the ideology of PML-N was very different from that of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Achakzai.

To another question, Chaudhry Nisar said that he felt Nawaz going to jail would harm the party politically.