LAHORE: The ruling PML-N senior leadership discussed upcoming by-poll, local bodies elections in Punjab and overall performance of the federal and provincial governments at a huddle in Murree hill station.
PML-N president Nawaz Sharif presided over the meeting at his Murree residence in which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, federal cabinet members Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Azam Nazir Tarar, Dr Tauqeer Shah and Ameer Muqam, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Anusha Rehman and retired Capt Muhammad Safdar were present.
“The meeting discussed upcoming by-polls and local body elections. Suitable candidates will be finalised once the schedule of all by-election is announced. The huddle was told that the local body election had already been delayed and now it’s time to conduct it,” PM’s adviser and PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah told Dawn after the meeting.
Twelve opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers in Punjab have been disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following their conviction in the May 9, 2023 cases.
The disqualified lawmakers comprise eight National Assembly and four Punjab Assembly legislators. The NA-129, Lahore, fell vacant after the death of MNA and former governor Mian Azhar. PTI patron-in-chief Imran Khan has barred his party from contesting the by-polls except on NA-129 where Azhar’s son Hammad Azhar is likely to be the party’s candidate.
“We will not field any candidates in the by-elections for the seats of our unjustly disqualified members. These individuals stood firm with PTI despite extreme challenges. Therefore, the party will completely boycott these by-elections,” Imran Khan had said in a post on X.
When asked after the PTI’s boycott, the PML-N has been given a ‘walkover’ in the by-election, therefore, why the leadership felt the need to discuss it in the huddle in which all the party heavyweights were present, Rana Sanaullah said: “We have information that the PTI is not boycotting the by-poll, therefore, it featured in the meeting.”
Mr Sanaullah further said he told the meeting that the party workers would be mobilised once the schedule of the local government election was announced. “However, before the announcement of its schedule, there is a need to amend the local government law regarding delimitations,” he added.
To a question about ‘reconciliation’ between CM Maryam and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in the meeting over the issue of the arrest of Sialkot’s additional deputy commissioner revenue, Sanaullah said: “There has been no issue between them as it was only played up by the media.
Regarding the proposed 27th amendment, he said it did not come under discussion.
According to sources, discussion on the “smooth functioning” of the federal and Punjab governments was also discussed in the meeting.
Khawaja Asif says Maryam is like his daughter
The defence minister uploaded a clip of his talk with a digital media platform on his X account clarifying the reports about his reported conflict with CM Maryam over the arrest of a bureaucrat of his native town, Sialkot. “Maryam Nawaz is like a daughter to me. She is our future leader. I pray for her like my own daughter. There has been no issue [between us] at all .”
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has cautioned the PTI from staging a protest on the Independence Day.
“The nation will celebrate Independence Day with great fervour and will also mark the success of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos while a disruptive faction, PTI, is conspiring to create unrest on this national occasion which will not be allowed,” Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari said in a statement.
“Protesting on a national day is not the agenda of any patriotic political party. This is the same group that emerged from the 2014 sit-ins and has since made agitation and protests their hobby. The PTI has no regard for national events as its politics revolves solely around creating division and chaos.” Issuing a strong warning, Bokhari said the law would take its course if anyone tried to stage violent protest.
Advising the PTI leadership, she urged it to call off their planned protest on Aug 14.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025
