Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday elected former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as party’s ‘Quaid for Life’ and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the interim president.

The Central Working Committee (CWC) of the PML-N met at the Sharif family’s Model Town residence in Lahore. PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq proposed Nawaz Sharif’s elevation as ‘Quaid for Life’, saying, “Mian Nawaz Sharif was, is, and Insha Allah will remain the leader of PML-N.”

Maryam Nawaz confirmed the development in a tweet. “Raja Zafarul Haq, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s proposal elicited a resounding approval from the CWC,” she wrote on the twitter.

Haq’s proposal, followed by chants of ‘Wazir-e-Azam, Nawaz Sharif’, was endorsed by Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi, who said, “These are the people’s decisions … courts have no right to take this decision … this is our party’s decision.”

Shehbaz Sharif was elected unopposed as the acting president of the PML-N after Nawaz Sharif proposed his name. He has been elected for an interim period of 45 days until the general council meeting takes place next month to elect the full-time president.

As per the PML-N constitution, the CWC is to elect an acting party chief within a week of the top seat falling vacant due to any reason. Afterwards, the party’s general council is required to elect the president within 45 days.

Soon after the decision was taken, Maryam Nawaz tweeted a picture of her father and uncle embracing each another. “We are Alhamdo Lillah ONE. We stand united. PML-N stands united,” she tweeted. She also walked up to the stage to congratulate her uncle on his appointment as the party’s interim president.

“There is no candidate for the slot of interim president of PML-N other than Shehbaz Sharif,” PML-N Information Secretary Mushahidullah Khan announced.

The CWC meeting was held after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as PML-N president following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Elections Act, 2017, case.

While addressing the session, Nawaz Sharif expressed displeasure over the apex court verdict of his disqualification from the party presidency, terming it a ‘dictatorial decision’. He said such decisions had not been even taken during the tenure of the dictators. “There are no dictators ruling the country at present but the decisions taking place are like the ones made during the dictatorships,” he said.

Nawaz was of the view that the verdicts of his disqualification – first from the premiership then from his party’s presidency – were against the people’s will. “People elected me to the power, but there are certain powers that want the opposite to happen,” Nawaz said. “I was elected as prime minister thrice but was not allowed to complete my term,” he added.

“Do you expect that you keep on taking oaths under PCO and we’ll continue to respect your decisions?” Nawaz asked, referring to those judges who had taken oath under the provisional constitutional order (PCO) issued by the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf. “It is the greatest crime when you leave your country’s constitution and take oath of allegiance to a military dictator. What is the bigger crime than this?” he questioned. “The crime for which you have punished Nawaz is not even a hundredth part in severity of taking oath under the PCO. It is the biggest crime.”

On the occasion, Nawaz Sharif praised the performance of Shehbaz Sharif citing what he called the tremendous development work in the province of Punjab. “Had there been no delay of 22 months, the Orange Line Metro Train would have been functioning in Lahore and the people would be travelling on it,” he said.

Addressing the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif said it was an important moment in his life, adding that it was no easy task to control the sentiments while holding the office of president of the PML-N. “I consider it a good luck that we have the patronage of an experienced and farsighted political leader in the shape of Nawaz Sharif. There is no bigger honour for me that a leader of the stature of Nawaz Sharif has selected me for this post,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, February 28^th 2018.