LAHORE: Incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday threw his weight behind the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ‘Azadi March’ against the government, saying that he “fully supports” it.
“Our viewpoint is the same as Maulana’s [Fazlur Rehman’s] viewpoint, ” said Nawaz while speaking to reporters outside a Lahore accountability court.
Nawaz recalled that Rehman had called for resignations and protest after the 2018 general elections, in which the PTI came to power. “We had convinced him not to take that course but I feel [now] that his argument was solid.”
Not paying heed to Maulana’s call for the march would be a mistake, he added.
Things took an unexpected turn when reports of a rift between the two brothers — Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif — started to make the rounds.
According to reports, during a meeting of PML-N’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Wednesday, Shehbaz had criticised his elder brother for “ignoring” his advice on key matters.
“I told Nawaz during his last tenure to stop fighting with the [military] establishment and serve the people,” Shehbaz was quoted as having told the party’s senior leadership during the meeting. He reportedly said that clashing with the establishment has always harmed the party.
“My elder brother does not listen to me,” he was reported as having said during the meeting.
Speaking about the rally, Shehbaz reportedly said that he had advised Nawaz against joining the JUI-F’s protest movement. He also told the meeting that he does not want to lead the party in the march and was nominating former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal to do so.
The former Punjab chief minister, who was scheduled to meet Nawaz at Kot Lakhpat Jail to discuss the CEC’s stance over Azadi March the following day, canceled the meeting citing “backache”. Party sources said that the PML-N president was advised bed rest by his doctors.
While the party has, largely, refrained from announcing an official stance on the upcoming march, Nawaz’s son-in-law Captain retired Safdar, however, said on Thursday that he would join the protest.
Safdar had also disclosed that the party supremo’s message to the workers was “they must participate” in Maulana Fazl’s protest. “Those who love the country will join the march,” he had quoted Nawaz as saying.
