Ikhtiar Wali blasts party leadership for ignoring loyal workers

NOWSHERA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and Broadcasting Ikhtiar Wali on Saturday criticised the party’s provincial leadership for sidelining loyal workers and favouring newcomers in key organisational roles.

Speaking at a workers’ convention in Nowshera, Ikhtiar Wali voiced his dissatisfaction with recent decisions, stating that giving important positions to former members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while ignoring long-serving PMLN activists was creating unrest within the party. “This is an insult to those who have stood by the party in difficult times,” he added.

He warned that any derogatory language used against PMLN’s Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz would be met with a strong response. Referring to PTI founder Imran Khan,

he remarked, “After Pulwama, the nation saw his state of mind.

Now, he won’t even become a councillor for the rest of his life.” Responding to criticism over a recent party meeting held in Nowshera on May 28, Ikhtirar Wali asserted that it was held with his full knowledge and approval. “As Additional Secretary General, I am fully authorized to make organizational decisions in my district,” he said. “If I cannot exercise authority in my own region, then

what is the purpose of this position?”

He also accused the provincial president and general secretary of the party of ignoring seasoned members. He said that there would be no leniency for those involved in the

May 9 riots.

“Those who say the army should fight alone, I say to them: wear bangles, put on dupattas, and apply henna. We will fight alongside our army,” he added.