Dastgir laments unable to meet Nawaz in a year

LAHORE: Senior PMLN leader and former federal minister Khurram Dastgir has acknowledged that the party no longer has the strength to raise its slogan of “Respect the Vote.”

In an interview with a news website, he said achieving this goal would require sacrifices including giving up governments.

Dastgir criticized the party’s outdated political approach, saying: “We are still stuck in desktop politics, while people have shifted to mobile screens.” He revealed that despite multiple attempts, he had been unable to meet PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif for nearly a year.

When asked about the fate of the party’s core narrative, he admitted: “We no longer have the courage to carry it forward. It requires sacrifices, and we seem hesitant to make them.” He said the PMLN’s political narrative had stalled. “We have reached a point of indecision about how to reconnect with people. At the moment, we do not see a clear path forward,” he added.

Referring to former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed’s trial, Dastgir said it was a positive step that indicated the institution was self-correcting. He emphasized that punishments are necessary to prevent future crimes, adding: “Imran Khan also deserves a military trial for conspiring to incite rebellion within the army a serious crime that led to the events of May 9.”

Drawing parallels to Nazi Germany, he stressed the importance of democracy defending itself. “We all want to move beyond military dictatorship, but at the moment, the greater threat is fascism. Hitler’s rise in 1933 devastated Germany; institutions were destroyed, parliament was burned down, and the nation paid a heavy price,” he warned.

He dismissed the suggestion that handing power to Imran Khan would be a viable solution, saying: “Some believe Khan will lose popularity within six months if given the government, but that would be a catastrophic mistake. The solution must be political.” He disclosed that his last meeting with Nawaz was nearly a year ago in December 2023, during party ticket distributions. “Despite multiple efforts before and after the elections, I could not meet him again,” he lamented.

He pointed to rising public discontent stemming from record-high inflation under the coalition government. “The past 24 months have been devastating for ordinary Pakistanis, and the anger has unfairly been directed at the PMLN.” Criticizing the PML-N failure to adapt, he highlighted the growing importance of visual storytelling on digital platforms. “We will not grasp that unless we communicate our policies visually and compellingly, the public won’t pay attention.” He cited the lack of impact from initiatives like the Jhimpir wind energy project near Karachi. “Even though it was an extraordinary achievement, the public only noticed social media snippets. Speeches no longer capture attention; visuals do,” he explained.

In response to a question about Maryam Nawaz’s social media engagement and Nawaz’s limited public interaction, Dastgir said: “There is no clear answer. The public perception of the PMLN has become blurry, and people have lost faith in the party’s ability to resolve their issues.” He concluded by calling for leaders to reconnect with the masses, saying: “A politician belongs to people, whether he is in parliament or not. My own grandfather followed this principle, and so do I.”