PML-N disgruntled MPAs say…

We’ve seen Maryam’s ultimatum

By Ali Raza

LAHORE: A group of Pakistan Muslim League-N disgruntled MPAs said on Tuesday they had witnessed the cowardice of the PML-N leadership for themselves and now they would tender their resignations only when they would be shown resignations of other PML-N assembly members.

Addressing a press conference here, they said they had seen “Aar ya Paar” [decisive moment] of Maryam Nawaz, and now they did not believe in her verbosity.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had said at a public rally in Lahore last month that the PDM rally in Lahore would be a decisive one. "On December 13, it will be 'Aar ya paar’," she had said.

The angry PML-N MPAs said they were ready to resign on the condition that first Maryam Nawaz showed them the resignations of other party parliamentarians and also justify why the parliamentarians should resign from assemblies.

Jalil Sharaqpuri said that on the one side, the party leaders were talking about resigning from the assemblies, and on the other they were taking part in Senate elections. Sarcastically, he said that the parliament and the political setup would become ‘halal’ [legitimate] once Maulana [Fazlur Rehman] would be elected to Senator by the assembly members. The MPAs said Nawaz Sharif had proved that he was not qualified for leadership and now he should give way for new and fresh leadership to come forward and run the party.

The group was led by Mian Jalil Sharaqpuri, while the other three MPAs were Nishat Ahmad Daha, Faisal Khan Niazi and Ashraf Ansari.

Declaring the PDM’s Lahore public meeting a flop show, he said the people refused to buy the narrative of Maryam Nawaz. He said they had given blood for the party and they would not allow Mian Nawaz Sharif to lead the party. “We do not talk or make contacts behind the scenes; we do it in front of everyone; we will continue to meet the Punjab chief minister for our right to represent our constituencies,” he added.

He said if Nawaz Sharif was clean, he should come back and face the courts. There was nothing wrong with that and if injustice was happening with Mian Sahib, then stay in the field. “If Nawaz Sharif does not come back, we will be right in believing that there is something wrong with him,” Sharaqpuri said, adding the majority of votes today belong to Imran Khan and Usman Buzdar. Sharaqpuri said if the incumbent government did not control inflation, people would respond to them in the next election. Taking out rallies by the opposition would only spread chaos and anarchy in the country, he added. He said Nawaz Sharif was levelling allegations against the security agencies of the country while sitting in London. He said true leaders did not do such things.

He said Nawaz Sharif spoke against the institutions due to his low wisdom and that launching a war against the institutions was not a solution to the problems.

The PML-N MPAs hoped that Imran Khan would take the country forward and inflation would also end.

Jalil Sharaqpuri said if Khokhar Palace was razed illegally the Khokhar brothers should go to court. He said a qabza group was controlling the party and he and his group would play their role to get rid of the group.

They said Chief Minister Usman Buzdar fulfilled their requests they had made for the betterment of their constituencies. The meeting with the CM caused a stir in the party, they said and questioned that if the leadership did not do backdoor diplomacy when they need it?