*ISLAMABAD*: Former interior minister and estranged Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday dropped astrong hint at his intentions of leaving the party and said that the timehas come to go public over his grievances with the party leadership.
Addressing a presser in Taxila on Saturday, Nisar said that it is abouttime that he publically shed light on the issues straining his relationshipwith the PML-N leadership and added that “you won’t have to wait muchlonger on this”.
His statement came as a surprise for political observers as after recentelection of Shehbaz Sharif as the new president of the party, it was beingbelieved that Nisar would be tamed due to his proximity with the youngerSharif. However, Nisar has made it clear that differences were beyondrepair.
During the presser, the former minister reasserted that the PML-N shouldrefrain from confrontation with the state institution.
Asked whether his narrative is different than that of the PML-N, Nisarasked: “What is the PML-N’s narrative?” I have a stance rather than anarrative which is the non-confrontational policy with the stateinstitutions, he went on to add.
Sharing his stance, Nisar said he believes the party should not movetowards conflict with the institutions. He was referring to the recentconfrontation of the PML-N leaders, especially former premier Nawaz Sharif,with the army and judiciary
“It is my suggestion to Nawaz Sharif, that we should not move towardsfighting with the judiciary, state institutions,” he went on to add. ThePML-N should compete with its political opponents, rather than fightingwith the state institutions, he said, adding that his advice was in theinterest of Nawaz Sharif as well as the ruling party.
In a reference to the Supreme Court’s Panama Papers verdict, which had ledto Nawaz’s disqualification in July 2017, Nisar said whatever relief theparty was seeking regarding the judgment could only come through the apexcourt.
The former interior minister and former close confident of the elder Sharifsaid that he had been handling matters developing over the past few monthssilently and had decided to stay away from the new cabinet led by PrimeMinister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Nisar has been quietly working on a plan to contest upcoming elections asan independent candidate. He also shared a survey conducted in his nativeconstituency with his close friends, which suggested that at least 70 percent of the area voters wanted Nisar to contest the next elections as anindependent candidate.
The sources further said that the ruling party had also tried to locatesome candidates in Ch Nisar’s constituency but failed to find a suitableand strong candidate capable to defeat Nisar.
In a recent chat with a selected group of journalists, Nisar had shared alist of chairmen of 25 union councils of his constituency who had pledgedto support him with or without the PML-N at his back.