LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has said the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s alleged deal with the military establishment has come to fore and that “no doubt is left in this respect anymore”.

“Nawaz-establishment deal is now an open secret. The moment this man (Nawaz) gets a chance again he renders all others (allies) zero,” Ahsan said with regard to the PML-N’s allied parties, especially the PPP, which feels ditched by the Sharifs in cutting an “exclusive deal” with the powers that be.

These accusations are being leveled against Nawaz Sharif in the backdrop of the preferential treatment he is getting after his return from UK, while no election date is being given despite PPP’s requests to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Aitzaz Ahsan was talking to journalists at the Qul of the wife of PPP senior leader Navid Chaudhry here on Saturday.

The PPP leader further said Nawaz Sharif was keen to become prime minister. “Nawaz wants to become PM let him be so,” he said, adding that no (democratic) system was in place in the country.

To a question whether the polls would be held by the end of January, 2024, the PPP leader said nothing could be said with certainty in this regard in the current political scenario.

Meanwhile, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s spokesperson Zulfikar Ali Bader said when there was one law for a leader (Nawaz) of one party and another for the leader of the other party, then questions about “favouritism” would arise.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, Bader said the PPP leadership had advised Nawaz Sharif not to leave the country in 2019 (on medical grounds) and face the situation here with courage.

“There has been a perception among the masses that Nawaz Sharif is being brought back to the country and given a special treatment. This reflects poorly on the reputation of the caretaker government and fingers are being pointed at it,” he said and added it was the right of all political parties to participate in the elections and they should be given a level playing field.

The spokesperson demanded the ECP should announce polls date without any further delay.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2023