ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Saturday directed the party for rigorous preparations to go into elections in Punjab with full force in the wake of the dissolution of the provincial assembly and asked party president and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to set up a parliamentary board for allocation of tickets to the party candidates.
The instructions were issued in a consultative meeting of the party’s senior leaders, which he chaired in London.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior party leaders attended the meeting via video link, in which, detailed discussions were held on the prevailing political and economic situation.
In a statement, issued following the meeting, party spokesperson and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the PML-N Quaid held consultations with senior party leaders in the wake of evolving political situation in Punjab after Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi sent the summary to the Governor Punjab for the dissolution of Punjab provincial assembly.
Nawaz, Zardari and Fazl discuss Punjab situation
She said that the party’s Quaid instructed the party to go in the elections in Punjab with full force by making every preparation and also asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also PML-N president, to set up a parliamentary board.
The parliamentary board will decide on the allocation of party tickets to the PML-N candidates once the elections are held following the completion of the constitutional term of the forthcoming caretaker set up in the province.
“Step forward with full strength, passion, confidence and preparations in the elections in Punjab,” Nawaz Sharif told the consultative meeting of the senior party leaders.
“Inshallah, Pakistan Muslim League-N will come as victorious in the polls,” Nawaz Sharif maintained.
“Governor Punjab may look into the summary as per the Constitution and God willing, PML-N will return to Punjab with full force after success in the election,” Nawaz Sharif reportedly told the party meeting and also directed the party leaders and workers to fully prepare for the election and asked them to hold meetings on a daily basis in this regard.
The PML-N decision comes amid speculations and legal wrangling with regard to the party’s next policy to deal with the situation following dissolution of the Punjab assembly.
Sources said that the PML-Q Quaid also expressed displeasure over the party’s failed strategy to prevent the passage of vote of confidence in the chief minister in Punjab assembly, which led to the current political standoff.
They said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also taken Nawaz Sharif into confidence over the country’s prevailing political and economic situation, besides appraising him over the party’s strategy for the forthcoming elections in Punjab and possibly in Khyber -Pakhtunkhwa after the dissolution of the two provincial assemblies.
The sources further maintained that PML-N senior vice president Maryam Nawaz is also expected to return to the country later this month to lead the party’s election campaign.
Earlier on January 12, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi signed a summary for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly and forwarded it to the Governor Punjab.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023