Only few turncoats left PML-N: Nawaz Sharif

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday that a fair few turncoat politicians left the party and the front made for the cause of southern Punjab died down within two days.

The PML-N former president was addressing the parliamentary board and said that the people in Punjab acknowledge that the amount of development work in the province in the past 10 years is unparalleled.

Nawaz further said that negative propaganda is a part of the politics and he has been seeing it since the day he joined politics.

The PML-N will make the first phase of announcements for party candidates for the national and provincial assembly constituencies for the general election scheduled for July 25.

The party had earlier stated candidates would be announced in two phases. However, a date for the second phase is yet to be announced.

The session is being attended by former prime minister Nawaz Sahrif, former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Asif Ashraf and Rana Mashood among others.

During the meeting, the above mentioned are interviewing aspirants for PML-N tickets.

Shehbaz, who was appointed PML-N president after a Supreme Court ruling ordering the removal of Nawaz as party chief, was also interviewed by the party’s parliamentary panel.

“Mian Sb, you are the party quaid and it is your decision whether to give me a ticket or not,” Shehbaz said before the party board. The former Punjab chief minister was questioned regarding his performance and future plans during the interview.

Sources earlier said that around the party would give majority tickets to those who were previously members of the national or provincial assemblies.

It is further believed that alternate candidates will be fielded for some party leaders who are facing cases.

Regarding Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz, sources said, “It appears that they both will contest elections from three constituencies each.”

“Maryam has been recommended to contest from Karachi as well,” sources further said.

Further, Nawaz and Shehbaz are said to be at loggerheads over issuing a party ticket to former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar.