ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has postponed a meeting of its central working committee (CWC) in the wake of crackdown on its leaders and workers ahead of the presidential election.

“The meeting has been postponed for a few days as it can take place only after central leaders of the party are free,” PML (N) secretary information Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn on Sunday.

The CWC meeting had been convened to discuss the forced deportation of party chief Nawaz Sharif and to determine the causes of the failure of its leadership to mobilise workers and the general public for the warm welcome it had planned for the former prime minister upon his arrival in Islamabad on September 10.

“This is a sham democracy and sham elections,” he said, adding that the government was making Pakistan a laughing stock in the world.

He said the decision of rounding up political leaders and workers and putting them under house arrest was highly condemnable.

He also criticised the manhandling of party’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

He said the new date for the CWC meeting would be announced soon.

Mr Iqbal said the CWC members would look into the causes of the failure of the party’s plan to mobilise the public to receive Mr Sharif at the airport.

“There is a possibility of formation of a committee to determine causes of the failure and to fix responsibility,” he said.

Mr Iqbal said the party would also discuss the future strategy about Mr Sharif’s return to the country.

“After all, he (Mr Sharif) has to come back. That is not the end,” he said.