Daily Times

Independent MPA-elect and estranged Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar arrived in the Punjab Assembly building on Monday to take oath as an MPA in its session scheduled for Monday. His decision to take oath after a delay of three years was criticised by Law Minister Raja Basharat. He said Nisar’s absence from the assembly only harmed his constituents.

According to TV reports, he met the assembly secretary, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, and informed him about his intention to take the oath. Speaker Parveiz Elahi, however, is not present in the assembly.

Earlier, in a statement on Sunday, Nisar said that boycotting the by-election and leaving the political turf unoccupied for rivals will be a major political mistake.

According to the former interior minister, taking an oath won’t change his stance or viewpoint regarding the political situation. “I have taken the decision [of becoming an MPA] after consultation with the people,” he maintained.

Shedding light on the move further, he said, “It is aimed at controlling the political situation and aspects in the constituency.” Nisar further stated that he will not take any sort of perks from the assembly after taking his oath. He termed it illogical to participate in the by-polls without becoming a member of the provincial assembly.

Nisar, a former PML-N stalwart, contested the 2018 general elections as an independent candidate from two national and two provincial assemblies after developing differences with the Sharifs.

He only managed to win the provincial assembly seat of PP-10 Rawalpindi, losing the rest to PTI candidates. Nisar had not taken the oath, saying it would be sheer hypocrisy if he took the oath of the provincial assembly’s seat.

He had maintained that being a member-elect of the provincial assembly it would not be justified for him to raise questions over the performance of the National Assembly.

The PML-N officially distanced itself from the development with its spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb saying that it was not in their knowledge whether Nisar would take an oath or not. It is not the first time that the media has been abuzz with such news.

The rift between the Sharifs and Nisar widened when the latter in 2018 had said he would not beg the PML-N’s parliamentary committee for an election ticket. He had also criticised the PML-N for having become a “family party”, which he said made it impossible for him to stay in it even though he had never really wanted to quit it. Nisar had a 35-year long association with the party.