Sharaqpuri says…: No action over his insult means Nawaz also has same mindset

LAHORE: Estranged PML-N Member of Punjab Assembly Jalil Sharaqpuri has said if party supremo Nawaz Sharif and Punjab President Rana Sanaullah did not take action over his insult by the party MPAs, that would mean they themselves have the same mindset.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he gave an ultimatum to Nawaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah to decide on his insult by the party members at the provincial assembly.

“I will wait for their decision on my insult till tomorrow (Monday),” he said adding that his criticism was against the policy of confrontation with the institutions and everything is secondary for him before the country whether it is a political party or a family.

“Do I even not have the right to express my opinion,” said the PML-N lawmaker, who was forced out from a PML-N meeting at the Punjab Assembly besides being manhandled by the provincial lawmakers. Two PML-N Punjab Assembly Members Mian Abdul Rauf and Mirza Javed put a ‘lota’ on the head of Sharaqpuri and chanted slogans against him. Sharaqpuri slammed party supremo and called him a "lota". The lota – a plastic vessel – is used figuratively in Pakistani politics as an insulting term for people who switch loyalties quite frequently.

Sharaqpuri is among five PML-N MPAs who earned the ire of the party leadership when they met Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar without obtaining party leaders’ permission.

“Did Nawaz not change his [loyalties]?” he asked, adding: “They are all lotas.”

The lawmaker said that “India is taking advantage of Nawaz’s speeches” made from London.

“In my opinion, Nawaz’s speech (the first of multiple ones since) was inappropriate,” he said, adding that the PML-N supremo should speak in the interest of Pakistan.

The lawmaker said that he was a member of the PML-N earlier and had left the party after “ideological differences with Nawaz”, following which he was with the PTI for eight years.

In the 2018 elections, "[PML-N lawmaker] Rana Tanveer asked me to opt for PML-N’s ticket and I agreed on the condition that I should be allowed to hold on to my differences with Nawaz," Sharaqpuri said.

About Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said that the premier has Pakistan’s interests at heart. “He raised the slogan of Islam in the United Nations.”

“If PML-N talks about honouring the vote, then respect should also be accorded to votes given to Imran Khan,” he said.