LAHORE: Concerned at his party MPAs voting for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and PPP candidates in Senate election in Punjab, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has tasked a five-member committee with finding out at least 24 ‘dissenters.’

“Mian Nawaz Sharif has constituted a five-member team to find out those two dozen or so PML-N legislators who violated the party policy and voted for PTI’s Chaudhry Sarwar and PPP’s Shahzad Ali Khan,” Punjab Human Rights and Minority Affairs Minister Khalil Tahir Sandhu, who is member of the team, told Dawn on Monday.

Mr Sandhu said the party leadership was of the view that it was necessary to identify those who betrayed the party. “We will have to see who voted for the PTI and PPP and why did they do so. There were at least 18 PML-N MPAs who voted for the PPP’s candidate and six for the PTI’s Sarwar,” the minister said, adding the PML-N committee would soon trace the ‘suspects’ and report back to the leadership.

Chaudhry Sawar had claimed that the PML-N lawmakers voted him according to their “conscience and democratic mindset” while PPP senior vice president Mian Manzoor Wattoo said he roped in 20 or so [PML-N] MPAs “mere on his connections” for his relative (Shahzad Khan).

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had told Dawn earlier that since the party did not have any reports that several PML-N legislators violated the party policy it was not going to hold any probe in this regard.

A PML-N insider said since MNA Hamza Shahbaz, son of new interim president of PML-N Shahbaz Sharif, was made focal person for coordination and an organised electioneering for the Senate, the Shahbaz’s camp was not interested in launching any probe into the matter because at the end of the day it was a failure on the part of Hamza and company.

“But since PML-N’s UK chapter head Zubair Gul who usually looks after Nawaz Sharif and his family members during their stay in London, lost the Senate seat to Chaudhry Sarwar, the party supreme leader does not want to let the matter go unnoticed,” he said, adding Mr Sharif’s daughter Maryam was also keen to know about the ‘suspects’ and reasons as to why they betrayed the party.

The source further said the ‘suspects’ had already made up their mind to part ways with the PML-N before this year’s general election. “There are some unconfirmed reports that some PML-N women MPAs had ‘sold’ their votes,” he said. The PML-N denies this.

Talking to reporters on Monday, Rana Sanaullah said had Chaudhry Sarwar not got second priority votes of PML-Q he would have lost the seat. He reiterated that as per the party members strength in Punjab Assembly the PML-N was to clinch 11 of 12 seats.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2018