LAHORE: The PML-N in its Punjab parliamentary party meeting took the MPAs into confidence regarding voting as per party policy in the presidential election, as they will vote for Maulana Fazlur Rehman who is the candidate of majority opposition parties.
The meeting was chaired by PML-N Punjab parliamentary leader Hamza Shahbaz. Rana Mashhood, Salman Rafique, Mian Naseer Ahmed, Yasin Sohal, Malik Nadeem Kamran, Mian Nauman, Zakiya Shah Nawaz, Rana Iqbal, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Khawaja Imran Nazir, Raheela Khadim Hussain, Waris Kahlo and others were present in the meeting.
However, Mashhood, Salman, Naseer, Yasin, Nadeem and Nauman left the meeting after a short stay. Sources say it was communicated initially that the meeting would be chaired by party president Shahbaz Sharif, however, he did not show up and it was said that he would join the meeting in the event of a breakthrough as a result of Fazl’s meeting with the PPP leadership. However, he did not show up at the meeting.
Imran Nazir maintained that the members had left the meeting only because of their personal engagements. The MPAs were briefed on how to cast the vote to avoid rejection of votes and it was vowed that all the schemes to force or buy the loyalties of the PML-N MPAs in Punjab would fail miserably. It was also said that any effort to disrupt democratic sanctity of the process would be met with strongest of counter measures.
Former Punjab government spokesperson Malik Muhammad Ahmed said the name of Fazl would not be withdrawn in favour of any and the opposition parties sans PPP were going to vote for the consensus candidate.
He said not even a single vote of PMLN would be swayed in the elections, adding that the PML-N was the largest party in the opposition and they would vote according to their party policy. Malik was of the view that the PPP should not have fielded a candidate as it was clear that a consensus nominee could be a significant threat to the PTI’s desired results of the election.