ISLAMABAD: Several members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party Monday expressed displeasure as their lawmakers did not record protests during the oath-taking ceremony of the revamped National Assembly.
The members at a parliamentary meeting of the party presided over by former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif voiced their concerns on the election campaign and said key leaders focused on their respective constituencies instead of working collectively.
One female member expressed her anger and said the party did not devise a sound strategy to respond to the Nawaz Sharif issue. She said PML-N did not show solidarity with the incarcerated former premier and urged an effective movement to tackle the situation.
Other participants voiced reservations over PML-N’s alleged failure to convince independent candidates to join party ranks after election and said it was a matter of concern as they had been ruling Punjab for the past many years.
They praised Khursheed Shah’s role as opposition leader in the National Assembly and expressed the hope that Shahbaz Sharif would emerge as an effective opposition figure.
The PML-N president on his part said Nawaz Sharif’s incarceration impacted their election campaign. He insisted election results were the outcome of rigging as well as internal party weaknesses and formed a committee to look into the matter. – NNI