Nawaz Sharif in detailed consultations with comrades

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had detailed consultations with his political comrades on Thursday evening immediate after returning from the Maldives at the Prime Minister’s House and devised a political strategy to deal with the upcoming situation in the wake of verdict of the Supreme Court’s five member bench in PanamaLeaks.

Highly placed sources told The News that the marathon deliberations concentrated on first Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan’s issue and then the announcement pertaining to the PanamaLeaks judgment. The participants of the meeting were surprised about the formation of the bench since the leaders belonging to the government were expecting that the court would comprise three members of implementing bench that examined the JIT report and heard discussion about it by the parties.

The two judges, who had already spoken their mind out in the matter, should not have been part of the bench that is adjudicating the case, the participants opined. The participants were confident that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s name wasn’t listed in the Panama Leaks; hence, his qualification or disqualification should not be considered.

The leaders, who earlier had a meeting with Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, included Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Shahid Khaquan Abbasi and Khawaja Saad Rafiq. They reported the Prime Minster about their extensive interaction with Nisar earlier in the day and Wednesday.

The sources said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was appreciative of the services rendered by Nisar for the party and the country.

He termed Nisar as an asset for the party and made it clear that Nisar wouldn’t be ignored in any decision making of political significance. Another close-door meeting was held later at the residential section of the Prime Minister’s House. It was attended by Shahbaz Sharif, Senator Ishaq Dar and Maryam Nawaz Sharif where the whole scenario was discussed and it was decided that a meeting of the federal ministers and state ministers present in the federal capital would be held today (Friday) on breakfast where line of action about the verdict would be planned.

Capt Muhammad Safdar, president of the PML-N Youth and Murtaza Javaid Abbasi, deputy speaker of the National Assembly, will also attend the meeting. In the meanwhile, speaker of National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who was in Lahore on Thursday, has been asked to dash to the federal capital for consultations. He will be reaching Islamabad Friday morning. Federal Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who was in the United States, has been asked to return home at the earliest and it is expected that he would return home tomorrow (Saturday), the sources added.