PML-N plans street agitation after Muharram

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is likely to make a ‘come back’ in active street politics after Muharram along with other opposition parties, which are doing spadework to launch an anti-government movement from the platform of All Parties Conference (APC), sources told The News on Sunday.

“All the senior party members have been conveyed a message from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif that from now onwards, the PML-N would act as the leading opposition party within and outside the Parliament House,” the sources said.

The PML-N would also completely dismiss the impression that Nawaz Sharif was allowed to go to London for medical treatment on the basis of alleged assurance that he would never involve in any political activity.

When contacted, a senior government official confided to this reporter ,“I personally have the knowledge that some quarters assured Prime Minister Imran Khan that if Nawaz Sharif was allowed to go to London he would never participate in any political activity.”

“Now Nawaz Sharif is violating the deal and getting involved in politics despite the fact that he had gone to London solely for his medical treatment,” the official said. Nawaz has given personal assurance to the JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that his party would aggressively follow the APC decisions.

Sources said Fazlur Rehman was now again ready to become part of APC because he believed that Nawaz Sharif’s personal assurance was enough otherwise he had been betrayed’ a number of times in the recent past. Fazl was not happy with the political tactics of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif due to which he personally contacted Nawaz Sharif and gave vent to his feelings about legislation recently carried out in the Parliament.

“The telephonic contacts in the last few days between Nawaz and Fazlur Rehman have gone well with the senior members of PML-N who want active and decisive role of their party in the coming months,” the sources said.

The sources also informed that if Shahbaz Sharif showed his inability to attend the APC due to his health issues, then a PML-N delegation, comprising senior members, would represent the party in this political event of the opposition parties.

A senior PML-N member told this reporter that the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was unlikely to attend the APC but at the same time, he did not rule out the possibility in this respect.

“I think Maryam Nawaz will not attend the APC but I will not rule out the possibility. It will be the party’s decision, and if it decides so, then Maryam Nawaz will certainly become part of the party delegation,” he said.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told The News, “Nawaz Sharif is now quite clear that being the largest party in the opposition benches the PML-N will lead the opposition parties in the coming months.”

“It is also clear that the PML-N will play its due role to implement the decisions to be taken in the upcoming APC. If the opposition parties decide to launch an anti-government movement, then the PML-N will be at the forefront,” he said.