RAWALPINDI: Two rallies taken out separately by Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N)’s Rawalpindi chapter in favour of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exposed cracks within the party on Thursday.

PML-N City president Sardar Naseem, MNA Abrar Ahmed, MNA Tahir Aurangzeb, former MNA Malik Shakil Awan, former MNA Haji Pervaiz Khan, MPA Raja Hanif Advocate and Seema Jilani led one of the rallies.

The rally, consisting of over 400 PML-N workers, started at the local press club after holding a workers’ convention and ended at Committee Chowk.

Also read: PML-N leaders fail to end internal rifts

On the other hand, former MNA Hanif Abbasi arranged another workers’ convention at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) auditorium and then led a rally from Shamsabad to Faizabad. More than 200 people attended the rally.

Apparently, the local PML-N leaders failed to end their differences even when the prime minister was in trouble due to the sit-ins in Islamabad.

The senior workers of the party complained that the local leaders, patronised by some federal ministers, were trying to win the support of the workers instead of showing unity and steer the party out of the crisis.

“These (rifts among the local leaders) are the main reasons the PML-N government failed to deliver during the last about a year. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Khwaja Asif, Pervaiz Rasheed, Hamza Shahbaz and others have formed their own groups in the party and instead of providing relief to the people are trying to control the party workers,” said Mohammad Shabbir, a senior PML-N worker from Satellite Town.

Another worker, Nisar Ahmed, from Purana Qila, said Sheikh Rashid was using bad language against the PML-N leadership and the local leaders were providing him an opportunity to garner the support of the citizens.

“Had these leaders worked for the workers during the last one year, not a single person would have gone to Islamabad to attend the sit-in of Imran Khan,” he said.

When contacted, Sardar Naseem said he had invited all the party leaders and workers to the convention at the press club but Hanif Abbasi arranged a separate rally.

“I don’t know the reason. Some people informed me about the sudden arrangement of the separate function when there was no need for it.” He added that the PML-N workers were very angry over the use of bad language by Imran Khan and his cronies against the prime minister and the chief minister Punjab.

He said the PML-N would hold a Jirga in the garrison city within two days to pass a resolution in favour of the elected government.

Meanwhile, during the rallies the PML-N workers chanted slogans in favour of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the army. The participants were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri.

The participants of the rallies asked the prime minister not to resign, vowing to protect the democratic system in the country. They said the sit-ins by Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri had exposed their lust for power.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014