Lahore, Feb 17: Nawaz Sharif sacrificed his ambition to become Pakistan’s prime minister for a record fourth term and nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif for the plum post as the powerful Army gave him two options either to choose the premiership or leave it to allow his daughter to become the chief minister of Punjab, according to party insiders.
The nomination of Shehbaz Sharif for the slot of prime minister by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif has stirred quite a debate among the PML-N ranks who are questioning why the 74-year-old three-time premier was “sidelined” despite the earlier announcement on the premiership.
Sources in the PML-N informed that Nawaz Sharif decided to withdraw himself from the race for the prime minister’s office for his daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, 50.
“Nawaz Sharif could have become the prime minister to lead the coalition government for the fourth time but then his daughter would have no chance to become the Punjab chief minister. For the love of his daughter, Nawaz sacrificed his wish to become prime minister for the fourth time,” a party insider said.
The sources said that Nawaz Sharif was given two choices by the military establishment after his party’s poor performance in the February 8 elections.
The powerful Pakistan Army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.
“The first was to become premier of the coalition government in Islamabad and make his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif Punjab chief minister and the other was to leave the top post for Shehbaz and have his daughter Maryam accommodated as the Punjab chief minister. Nawaz chose the second,” another source said.
The source said that since Shehbaz Sharif, 72, was a favourite of the military, Nawaz Sharif had to be sidelined by one excuse or another at the end of the day.
Since the PML-N failed to win a simple majority in the 266-member National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif prevailed over his elder brother Nawaz Sharif in the race for the post of Prime Minister.
Maryam on Wednesday said her father’s decision to withdraw himself from the top slot is related to the PML-N’s not securing a clear majority in the polls.
To form a government, a party must win 133 seats out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly.
Maryam is now set to become the first woman chief minister of Punjab, a crucial province of over 120 million people.
Former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has alleged that Maryam would become the Chief Minister on its “stolen mandate” thus having no credibility of her selection.
Prohibitory orders in Islamabad as PTI begins protests
Authorities on Saturday imposed prohibitory orders here in Pakistan’s capital as jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party began nationwide protests against alleged rigging and stealing of its mandate in the recent elections.
Criticising the outcome of the polls, which saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party-backed independent candidates emerging as the largest group by winning over 90 National Assembly seats, the PTI announced holding countrywide “peaceful protests” against what it termed “record-high rigging”.
The protests began with a march in Wana in South Waziristan of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The party has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament.
“The PTI has called for country-wide protests against the unprecedented, massive, brazen rigging in general elections 2024, where PTI’s win of 180 National Assembly seats and a two-thirds majority in the parliament, was cut down to half,” the party said in a statement.
“The 2024 elections would be remembered in the country’s history due to the scale of rigging,” PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan said.
The Islamabad police have said that section 144 is in force in the city and the security is on “high alert”, as the PTI is set to begin its countrywide protests, the Dawn newspaper reported. (PTI)
