ISLAMABAD: Cabinet Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Monday doubled down on his earlier remarks about who should lead the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that his advice to Shahbaz Sharif was “sincere and wise”.
The lawmaker from Bahawalpur had last week advised the Punjab chief minister to take over the party reins from his elder brother, Nawaz, insisting that the former better understood the people’s issues.
But on Monday, he responded to the harsh reaction against him from within the party, terming his critics “seasonal toads”.
“I hail from a rural background, I’m not a cultured person from Lucknow. I am not a very articulate man either, I am quite blunt in my views,” he told reporters at his office at Sports Complex.
He asked whether Shahbaz Sharif was a brigadier of the 111 Brigade. “Surely not, then why are people raising their fingers towards me for making the suggestion that he take over as long as Nawaz Sharif is facing corruption cases?” he asked, adding that the Punjab chief minister was the “obedient brother” of the current party chief.
Clarifying his position, Mr Pirzada said he still believed the younger Sharif was the best choice to lead the party at this critical juncture, adding that there was no conspiracy behind his words.
He was insistent that if Shahbaz was not made party head, there would be a vacuum in the party. However, he ruled out chances of a forward bloc forming within the party, saying: “I do not poke holes in the boat I’m on”.
He recalled that in politics, party heads were supposed to face court cases take corruption charges in their stride. “In this country, Pakistan Peoples Party founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari, Yousaf Raza Gillani and several other leaders have faced court trials, and Mian sahib should face all the cases against him with courage.”
Asked what policy the party should adopt, the minister said that former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had already said there should be no confrontation with institutions.
The maverick minister is no stranger to controversy: earlier this year, he threatened to quit over a tiff with the ex-PM’s principal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad, and landed in hot water in 2015 when he accused the Saudi Arabia of creating instability in the Muslim world by importing its ideology.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2017
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.