Nisar takes oath as MPA today

LAHORE: Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan will take oath as the Member Punjab Assembly on Monday (today). 

Sources close to Chaudhry Nisar believe that the move has its roots in the proposed legislation on electoral reforms by the federal government, envisaging a time frame for the elected members to take oath.

Nisar also twittered that after consulting his associates and the electorate, he decided to take oath as the MPA on Monday. Nisar, however, clarified that he had not changed his stance and would neither take salary nor avail himself of the perks.

Reliable sources told The News that the move is not a result of any political development but it is the need of the time. Sources said the government was planning to amend the electoral laws and it might include the clause that those not taking the oath for a specific time period would be de-seated.

Sources said after Nisar’s announcement, several conspiracy theories had started doing the rounds in the print and social media and on top of it was that ‘someone’ wanted to give him a bigger role and that’s why he was taking the oath after almost two and a half years.

As per this theory, Nisar will take oath as an independent candidate after which he may join the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and replace Usman Buzdar.

Sources said this might be a hurdle race for Chaudhry Nisar, as first of all he had to make himself acceptable as chief minister in the PTI and then deal with Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, who also wanted to control the province.

On the other hand, the PML-N and PPP are also keenly monitoring the development and their leaders say they will first see what cards Nisar will show. Muhammad Zubair, senior PML-N leader and official spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, has categorically said that there’s no role of PML-N in this development.

“Ch Nisar left the party saying he will not work under Maryam Nawaz,” Zubair said, adding presently Maryam Nawaz had emerged as a national leader so the reason for which Nisar left the party was there and even in a bigger role.

Answering a question that Ch Nisar was a very good friend of Shehbaz Sharif, he said personal relations were different from politics. He said Sharif family was together and so far the party’s high command had not taken any decision on bringing in Ch Nisar or supporting him for the slot of chief minister.

Zubair said he don’t know why Ch Nisar suddenly announced to take oath and may be this was done on the demand of the people of his constituency. Similarly, Syed Hassan Murtaza, parliamentary secretary of PPP, said they were closely watching the development and if any such move was made in future, then the party will decide what to do.

He, however, said Chaudhry Nisar didn’t take oath for two and a half years which means he had deprived the people of his constituency of their right of representation. Earlier, in a statement issued on Sunday, Nisar said he had decided to take the oath almost after three years. He said stepping down as a lawmaker and then contesting by-elections would not have been a sensible move.