LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday nominated his brother, and the current chief minister (CM) of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif as the party’s candidate for premiership in the coming elections.
After a meeting with the party bigwigs at his residence in Jati Umra, Nawaz Sharif said that Shehbaz had never disappointed him and was the perfect candidate for the office. He added that the Punjab CM had always worked for the welfare of the public and his performance has made him trusted for a higher office.
Nawaz added that Shehbaz Sharif had differed with him over certain issues but his thorough and firm commitment with PML-N overrides everything else since PML-N was a democratic party and considered difference of opinion as an asset. He added that Shehbaz had never violated the party discipline.
He was loud and clear about those violating the party policy, saying that such behaviour could not be tolerated. He added that those who claimed to be in the party should stand with the party in these testing times.
Voicing his strategy for the coming elections, Nawaz said that the two basic tenets of any democracy will be the driving force of the election campaign, and those two tenets would be the protection of the sanctity of the vote and unpartisan across-the-board justice.
The three-time former PM had also nominated Shehbaz for the same position after his ouster in late July but Shehbaz had later declined from the opportunity, saying that the Punjab government’s projects would suffer in case of his promotion to the PM’s office.
The issue was seen as a discord between the two brothers as certain sections of the media reported that the decision had been taken after Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif’s wife and party’s member of National Assembly from NA-120, expressed her dissatisfaction over it.
Nawaz Sharif’s decision to nominate Shehbaz Sharif for PM candidate might signal an end to the speculation about the rifts within the family. PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi announced that general election will be held on July 15.
