LAHORE: A day after PML-N issued a clarification on the statement of party president Shehbaz Sharif regarding his idea of ‘national government’, the opposition leader in the National Assembly on Thursday appointed a spokesperson for himself, sparking a debate in the party that he (Shehbaz) has shown his annoyance in this way.

“I am happy to announce that Malik Ahmad Khan will be my spokesperson. He served as special assistant to chief minister Punjab on information and culture during my tenure as CM and did a remarkable job,” Shehbaz announced in a tweet on Thursday.

A party insider told Dawn that Mr Shehbaz picked a person who was close to his sons — Hamza and Suleman. He said after the ‘embarrassing’ episode of clarification of his statement, he decided to have his ‘family trusted’ person to represent him in the media.

Malik Ahmad Khan had not been in the media team of the PML-N since the party lost the last general election three years ago. “Within the PML-N, Mr Khan is considered from the Shehbaz camp as he mostly defends his boss (Shehbaz),” he said.

Malik Ahmad earlier worked as special assistant to CM in Punjab

In a talk with journalists in Karachi early this week, Shehbaz had stated that the solution to the national issues, ranging from foreign policy to economy and from political uncertainty to fast-eroding space for true democratic forces, demanded a consensus national government.

“Frankly, I am telling you that sometimes when I look at these huge problems and challenges, I feel convinced that it’s not possible for one party alone [to fix them],” he had said, adding: “It needs collective wisdom. It requires collective efforts. That’s why I think we should have a national government in place to sort out these huge tasks. I don’t know what the exact shape of this idea would be and the right time may make things clearer but for me it’s crucial. Even if we (PML-N) win a majority, we can’t fix it alone.”

Following day, PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb issued a statement ‘clarifying’ that the party president during his meeting with journalists in Karachi on Monday last had made a “passing remark” based on his “personal opinion”.

“PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif made a passing remark that if the people of Pakistan by the grace of God Almighty gave the PML-N the responsibility to govern again after the next elections, in his personal view he would not mind inviting other political parties, excluding the PTI, to contribute towards solving the massive crisis created by the Imran Khan government over their disastrous tenure in government,” said Ms Aurangzeb’s statement.

After the party spokesperson’s statement a debate ensued in the party ranks that how come a clarification was issued to embarrass Mr Shehbaz who happens to be the president of the party.

“It is obvious that Mr Shehbaz’s idea of national government was not taken well by the party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif who ordered issuance of a clarification perhaps after taking his younger brother on board,” a senior party leader from Punjab told Dawn.

He said terming the party president’s statement his ‘personal opinion’ had embarrassed him and placed him in an awkward position in the party. “Mr Nawaz could have asked Mr Shehbaz to issue himself a clarification to his national government talk which might have saved him from the embarrassment...and this practice is not uncommon in other parties,” he said.

Another PML-N leader said this episode had once again established that both Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz would snub Shehbaz whenever he tried to give a party line without the approval from his elder brother.

Maryam Nawaz in a media talk on Wednesday asserted that her father had “never supported the concept of national government but suggested dialogue and reconciliation.”

Nawaz Sharif had already shown no interest in the proposal of Shehbaz to hold a ‘grand dialogue’ among the institutions, including the establishment.

When asked why Mr Shehbaz felt the need to appoint a spokesperson for him after his statement withdrawal episode, Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “The doctored statement printed by certain media outlets prompted the PML-N president to issue the clarification. All statements to the press are issued on the instruction of the party president and their dissemination is the responsibility of the secretary information,” she said and welcomed Mr Khan to the party’s media team.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2021