RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah MNA has rejected the impression that the PML-N had deviated from its narrative of “vote ko izzat do” and made it clear that they stand for “civilian supremacy and giving respect to the vote.”

Addressing at a news conference here at the PML-N Secretariat after the PML-N Punjab meeting on Saturday, Rana Sanaullah, who was accompanied by Sardar Owais Khan Leghari, Uzma Bukhari, Rana Mashood Khan, Malik Nadeem Kamran and others, said that he met with Maryam Nawaz at Jati Umrah who was concerned due to ill health of her father Nawaz Sharif and due to this reason she was not playing any role in politics now. “Maryam had approached the Court for six weeks permission to meet her ailing father in London, if she is allowed she would return back to the country within six weeks,” Rana added.

To another query, Rana Sanaullah said that Sharif family had suffered worst kind of revenge under the garb of accountability. He added that Shahbaz family in particular is facing so-called accountability.

Answering another question, Rana said the PTI government is standing with the strength of only five votes of its allies who are not satisfied with it.

“Bringing in-house change is very easy now; we want that a new PM should come with consensus, the new government may first bring electoral reforms and afterwards hold free and fair elections in the country, which is the only solution to take the country forward,” the PML-N leader opined.

He further said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had exhibited “undue haste” over the legislation on the tenure of armed services chiefs; however, this legislation has strengthened the office of Prime Minister, who is empowered in the matter concerning extension in armed services chiefs’ tenure.

Rana recalled that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s August 19 decision to give the army chief an extension had not been contested by political parties, including the PML-N and PPP.

“This government’s failure to follow the procedural requirement is the reason that the amendments became controversial. It was not our party or anyone else who had a part to play in that,” Rana said.

The PML-N leader, however, said the PML-N parliamentary party also became a part of this undue haste. “We realise that this was a political shortcoming on our part; we should not have become a part of this undue haste, but rather we should have stopped it,” he said, adding: “Nawaz Sharif had advised the parliamentary party to not support any ‘undue haste’ as it would make it seem as if the parliament was ‘rubber-stamping’ the orders of someone else.”

He also said that the opposition leaders who opposed the bill had objections over the process adopted by the government, not the extension.

To another query, Rana said, “Nawaz Sharif is facing serious health issues and had gone abroad for treatment with the permission of the court; my leader would return back after health recovery and lead the party.”

The PML-N leader said the incumbent government had only one policy, i.e. revenge. He expressed concern over the country’s economic situation and said that everybody either industrialists or vendors are facing difficult time now. He said the government has stopped every kind of subsidy pushing the people towards serious problems.

Rana said that in today’s party meeting, party’s reorganization matters were discussed in detail and it was decided to hold party conventions at district and divisional levels while the re-organisation affairs at district would also be finalized.

The meeting through different resolutions reposed confidence in the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, slammed revengeful activities against the PML-N leaders, including Hamza Shahbaz, Maryam Nawaz, Khawaja brothers, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others and bureaucrats like Fawad Hasan Fawad and Ahad Cheema. It also criticized the Punjab government for enhancing fare of Metro Bus and stopping free medicines in hospitals.