PML-N suspends Mashhood’s party membership

LAHORE: The PML-N on Wednesday suspended the party membership of MPA Rana Mashhood over his questionable statements in an interview to a private news channel.

PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said a three-member committee – comprising Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Rana Tanveer – had been formed to investigate the matter. The committee will submit its findings in two weeks.

PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, when reporters asked about his reaction over Mashhood’s statement regarding Shahbaz’s successful efforts to improve relationship with the establishment , said the views were of Mashhood and he had been served a show-cause notice in that regard. Responding to various questions, Shahbaz asserted, “The party has clarified its stance over Mashhood’s statement. He issued an irresponsible statement and I will issue a show-cause notice to him,” he added.

A reporter then asked Shahbaz whether “a deal had been made”. Irked by the question, the PML-N president responded, “Please say something which makes sense.”

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, however, did not comment directly over the issue and sufficed with reciting a verse “Ghalib hamein na chair keh phir josh-e-ishq say, Baithein hain hum tahy'ya-e-toofan kiye huvay,” which roughly means that one should not be bothered at a time when grievance was motivating one to fight he fiercest of storms. Responding to the queries posed by media persons at an accountability court in Islamabad, Nawaz said Shahbaz had taken notice of Mashhood’s statement. When asked if Mashhood’s statement was party policy or not, he said, “You know better than me.”

Hamza Shehbaz too strongly rejected any notion of the PML-N being involved in backdoor negotiations with any quarters and said any news or views regarding any deal were outright lies. He said Mashhood’s comments were his personal understanding and in no way connected or representative of the views of the party or the party leadership.

Speaking to media in Lahore, Hamza said, "We are not thinking about forming government in Punjab. Let us not discuss this...let us enjoy being part of the opposition." "We just want to expose the rigging that took place in the elections," Hamza said. "Even vendors on the street say they voted for PML-N and express their surprise at them [PTI] coming into power."

Meanwhile, Mashhood, talking to media outside Punjab Assembly, said he was disappointed by the manner in which his interview was spun without context to the question by the news channel and he had used the world “deal”. He clarified that he had always maintained that the PML-N respected all institutions but never sought backdoors enter into the power corridors. He said the PML-N had never dealt a “deal” in the past nor would they do any in the future, therefore, drawing this inference from his misconstrued statement was wrong.

Mashhood, however, said he stood by his statement about the PTI folks and added that he had always been a staunch advocate of democracy and his statement did not in any way implicate the army as the power negotiating with the PML-N. “The armed forces are an asset of every Pakistani,” he said.

Criticising the federal information minister, Mashhood said, “Fawad Chaudhry in a statement two days ago said both judiciary and army are standing behind them.” Punjab Minister Information Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan disagreed with all these explanations and in his media talk stated that it was clear from the words and statements of Mashhood that these were not just his personal views but intentionally fed to him by Nawaz and Shahbaz. The PTI leader said it was done to influence the Senate by-election and some eleven other by-elections due to be held in Punjab and over 30 in the country.