Nawaz to become PMLN president again

ISLAMABAD: Former premier Nawaz Sharif is all set to become the party president as it will be difficult for his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif to look after the party affairs once he takes oath as Prime Minister of Pakistan.

A well-placed source in the PMLN said that arrangements for Nawaz Sharif to take charge of the party head are being finalised and soon it will be announced.

After his disqualification in the Panama Papers case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had removed him from the post of party president. In the light of the apex court verdict, Shehbaz Sharif was then elected as PMLN President.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui, when contacted to confirm whether Shehbaz Sharif is going to resign as party head and Nawaz Sharif will take over, said he was in no position to comment on it.

“Nawaz Sharif is the senior-most politician in the current political lot in Pakistan. Politics is a continuous process and it can be pursued without taking any posts in the government. He is very active in party politics and interviewed all the candidates who applied for party tickets. Therefore, the impression that Nawaz Sharif is out of politics because he nominated Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister is baseless,” commented Senator Irfan Siddiqui.

“Nawaz Sharif will not only take oath as MNA but will also participate in parliamentary politics. Every policy decision within the party or formation of government in Punjab and Center is being taken after his approval,” he said.

Former federal minister for information and broadcasting Senator (R) Pervez Rashid, while talking to The News, said that Nawaz Sharif is very much active and participating in political decision making. “All the decisions regarding formation of the government in the Center and Punjab are being taken after his approval. Nawaz Sharif is the face of the party and he will not leave his supporters by retiring from politics,” commented Pervez Rashid.

“PMLN’s manifesto was made with the consultation of the party Quaid Nawaz Sharif and he will guide the party on the party manifesto in the federal and Punjab government. Whenever there’s a difficult time for the party or the country, PMLN workers look towards him and he always takes the party or country out of difficult situation,” said the former information minister.

Will he actively participate in parliamentary politics as he has been elected as an MNA? Pervez Rashid said whenever parliament discusses important matters related to national interests, Nawaz Sharif will attend those sessions but not the routine ones.

About the question of Ishaq Dar as the finance minister, the former information minister said it was not appropriate to speculate about any names of the proposed federal cabinet. This is the prerogative of Shehbaz Sharif as he will decide about it and he cannot comment about this question.

When asked if Maryam Nawaz has finalised the cabinet for Punjab, Pervez Rashid said the chief minister Punjab has finalised the names of her cabinet and sent the list to party Quaid Nawaz Sharif for approval. Asked if he can share any names of the provincial cabinet, he said the names will get the final nod from the party supremo.

“If I share the names of provincial cabinet with you but they are not approved by the party chief, then your story will prove wrong. Therefore, I would suggest to wait for the approval of Nawaz Sharif before publishing any names. However, one thing is for sure that Maryam Nawaz will keep her cabinet very short,” commented Senator Pervez Rashid.