ISLAMABAD: Several prominent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) loyalists with a long term association with the party supremo Nawaz Sharif have not been visible in recent jalsas organized under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). Background interviews with the PDM members as well as some conspicuously absent PML-N loyalists indicated that they remain deeply concerned at Nawaz Sharif's tough anti-establishment narrative during his address to the PDM jalsas in Gujranwala and Quetta, besides speaking at all party conference (APC) and to party's central executive committee (CEC) and Swat rally, as well as on the lead role given to Maryam Nawaz without consultation.
The establishment is a "reality" in our politics and the party needs to pursue the path of negotiation instead of confrontation, PML-N senior leaders told this correspondent on condition of anonymity.
"Maryam is new to politics, and the way she is running the party could create problems for the party in future. Not openly but in party meetings, we have been expressing our concerns and insisting on dialogue and compromise," PML-N sources added.
"Maryam has turned Mian sahib [Nawaz Sharif] against the establishment but even though he is aware of our concerns yet the ongoing cases against the party leadership especially against Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz and his own ouster for holding an iqama are factors that account for his support for Maryam's narrative," said a senior PML-N leader who declined to be named.
Maryam Nawaz appears to be the biggest crowd puller for the party today, they acknowledged, but added that crowds do not always translate into a vote bank large enough to form a government in the centre or the province.
"Besides she knows nothing about constituency politics which her uncle and her cousin Humza have been engaged in which translates into seats for the party," they further contended.
Maryam Nawaz is surrounded by those who she trusts, particularly those she was reportedly instrumental in elevating to positions of power during PML-N tenure (2013-18) including Muhammad Zubair, Talal Chaudhary, Maryam Aurengzeb, and Pervez Rashid.
But other senior PML-N leaders such as Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Mushaihdullah Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Raja Zafarul Haq, Rana Tanveer have rarely been seen in the PDM jalsas or around Maryam Nawaz.
Rana Sanaullah, long considered a Shahbaz Sharif loyalist, is supporting Maryam Nawaz though he maybe hedging his bets, one PML-N source said sarcastically.
Party insiders further revealed that Khawaja Saad Rafique is unhappy with the party leadership for not taking care of him and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique when they were in jail.
Maryam Nawaz, sources added, had expressed disappointment over the parliamentary party meeting chaired by Khawaja Asif when it decided to extend support to the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in January 2020. And despite the fact that Nawaz Sharif had given the go ahead through a letter to Khawaja Asif yet since then, Khawa Asif is avoiding sharing a stage with Maryam Nawaz.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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