Neither ‘masseur’ nor ‘polisher’: Zaeem

LAHORE: PML-N senior leader Zaeem Qadri, who also served as Punjab Auqaf and religious affairs minister, has decided to contest the general elections an independent candidate from NA-133, saying he is neither a “masseur” nor a “polisher”.

“I am not a servant of Hamza Shehbaz and I refuse to polish his boots,” he said at a highly-charged press conference held in the Township area.

Zaeem bashed the younger Sharif and his son for nurturing a culture of nepotism and flattery. “Lahore is not your or your father’s private property Hamza Shahbaz!” he remarked.

“The PML-N is in my blood, from the Tehreek-e-Nizam-e-Mustafa, Tehreek-e-Bahali-e-Jamhooriyat to the martial laws of Ayub, Yahya, Ziaul Haq and Musharraf. I am Pakistan Muslim League! You’re not Hamza!” he added.

He said despite standing firm during the most difficult times and being imprisoned five times, he was repeatedly undermined by the party leadership. He added that he was the covering candidate for Nawaz Sharif and Kulsoom Nawaz but someone else replaced him at the last moment.

“It had only been eight days after suffering in jail for the party that Nawaz called me and said I should leave the position of [PML-N] Punjab secretary general because the Punjab President (Shahbaz) didn’t like the sight of my face,” he said.

“For the past 10 years, those, who were made key ministers, didn’t even bother to defend Nawaz at any platform and went underground at a time when the party and its leaders were in a hot water, however these people were experts the art of toadying,” he claimed.

“I shall never join the masseurs and the servants of Hamza! I am a servant of the people, I’ve given blood, sweat and money to the party, I can sacrifice my life but not my integrity”, said Zaeem in his signature animated fashion.