ISLAMABAD: In a smart political move, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif has silently sidelined Maryam Nawaz’s group in the party’s canvassing for the elections in Cantonment Boards and has pursued a new slogan of ‘vote for development works’ while keeping the sensitivity of the canvassing in the military cantonments in mind.
An informed source told Pakistan Today that Shehbaz Sharif has convinced party leader Nawaz Sharif to allow him to win the election being held in Cantonment Boards where voters have a strong love for military leadership and they dislike the PML-N’s anti-establishment narrative.
The source said that Shehbaz Sharif has directed the party leadership not to pursue the narrative of ‘respect the vote’ adopted by Maryam Nawaz and also has directed the Maryam Nawaz group not to attend party meetings being held in the Cantonment Boards elections.
According to the source, those who have been sidelined for the Cantonment board elections included Maryam Nawaz, Shahid Khaqan, Khurram Dastgir, Maryam Aurangzeb, Talal Chaudhry, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Uzma Bukhari, and others who have been raising the slogan of ‘respect the vote’.
“For the time being, Shehbaz Sharif group which includes Khwaja Asif, Khwaja Saad Rafique, Malik Ahmed Khan, and Rana Mashood are leading the party,” the source said.
The source said that Senator Pervez Rashid has distanced himself from party affairs due to the increasing clout of Shehbaz Sharif who is not comfortable with those who are considered close to Maryam Nawaz and have been pushing an anti-army narrative. Rather, the source said, Shehbaz Sharif has given a special mandate to Malik Ahmad Khan to lead the canvassing in the cantonment boards.
The source said that the cantonment board’s election campaign is missing the slogan of ‘respect the vote’. The source said that the Maryam Nawaz group has also been sidelined in the process of preparation of PML-N’s ‘White Paper’ against the Punjab government’s three years in power. “Shehbaz Sharif has empowered his close aide Rana Mashhood to finalise and release the white paper while Uzma Bukhari has been sidelined in issuing of the white paper,” the source said.
The source added that due to which the PML-N Punjab spokesperson Uzma Bukhari has got angry and she left the official group of PML-N in protest to this decision.
The source said that it has now been decided that PML-N leader Rana Mashood along with Malik Ahmed Khan will be releasing the white paper on September 9 on the three-year performance of the Punjab government. The source said that Uzma Bukhari was furious as she had released the white paper against the Punjab government last year.
The source said that Shehbaz Sharif has directed his team to issue a white paper on the performance of the Punjab government and a comparison would be drawn between PML-N and PTI’s tenures on public issues like education, health, and economy.
When asked to comment on her increasing differences with Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that she will support Shehbaz Sharif if the party nominates him as the prime minister.
