LAHORE: The basic party membership of six ‘rebel’ MPAs of opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has been suspended and show-cause notices have been issued to them for holding a meeting with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, who belongs to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, and expressing confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
PML-N Punjab general secretary Awais Leghari on Friday served the notices on the lawmakers, most of them belonging to south Punjab, who had showed no ‘remorse’ for meeting with Mr Buzdar and praising PM Khan. Those who are served notices are Nishat Ahmed Daha (Khanewal), Faisal Niazi (Khanewal), Mohammad Arshad (Bahawalnagar), Azhar Abbas (Muzaffargarh), Abu Hafas Ghayasuddin (Narowal) and Chaudhry Ashraf (Gujranwala).
In the show-cause notice, the PML-N asked them to explain why they called on Mr Buzdar and expressed confidence in the leadership of both the chief minister and the prime minister. It also asked them to clarify their position with regard to their earlier meeting with PM Imran Khan. “You had no moral and legal ground to hold meeting with the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI),” the show-cause notices said. They were asked to clarify their position and submit a reply within seven days failing which legal action would be initiated against them.
The legislators had a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Buzdar recently and praised PM
‘Rebel’ PML-N lawmaker Nishat Ahmed Daha said he and other MPAs met CM Buzdar basically to “seek development funds for their respective constituencies.” Ghazanfar Ali Khan (Rahim Yar Khan) of the PPP had also called on Buzdar but he later clarified that he had no intention to leave the party.
PML-N’s Punjab information secretary Azma Bokhari told Dawn that the MPAs in question had been elected on the symbol of ‘tiger’ but violated their oath by meeting the PTI leadership. “If they have found a sudden love for the PTI leadership they should quit the PML-N and contest on ‘bat’ symbol (PTI) and they will come to know the popularity of Mr Khan’s party,” Ms Bokhari said.
Criticising the premier, she said PM Khan on the one hand spoke against forward bloc in parties and on the other hand was promoting it. “The prime minister should leave such double standards,” she said. When asked was the establishment helping PTI creating a forward bloc in PML-N, Ms Bokhari said: “They are afraid of PML-Q — PTI’s ally party in the Centre and Punjab — that is why they are doing this cheap things.”
A PML-N insider said a message had been conveyed to the Sharif brothers in London that the size of the forward bloc might increase if the party president, Shahbaz Sharif, chose to extend his stay there. “Shahbaz Sharif needs to rush back immediately and stop the birds from flying out of PML-N camp,” he said, adding ‘they’ had been also working on the ‘soft targets’ in the Centre. Recently some PML-N MNAs requested Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif to return from London and lead the party in the face of poor performance of the PTI government especially on economic front.
Shahbaz Sharif has been in London since November 2019 to look after his ‘ailing’ elder brother former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020
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