Nawaz Sharif today on twitter regretted that “some meetings are kept hidden under ‘seven curtains’ while others are made public to give them their own meaning.” He continued that such practices should stop.
He continued to say that he forbids any member of his party from meeting with the Pakistan army of any affiliated agency, on a personal, or at the party level.
Tweets come after party members reached out to Army Chief
The former prime minister’s tweets come a day after the Pakistan Army has made public information regarding PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair reaching out to the Chief of the Army Staff General Bajwa seeking help in political tribulations of Nawaz Sharif and daughter Maryum.
DG ISPR, Major General Babar Iftikhar, on Wednesday had confirmed that PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair had met twice with COAS, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The DG ISPR said DG ISI Faiz Hameed had also been present in the meetings.
DG ISPR said the first meeting was held in last week of August and second was on September 7. He said in both the meetings Zubair only talked about issues related to Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. Explaining further about the meetings he said that the meetings were held in August and September respectively. He also explained that the COAS had made it clear to the PML-N leader that legal issues were to be directed to the courts, and for political issues, the parliament was to be consulted.
Zubair, while talking to Geo’s Shahzeb Khanzada, said about the meetings, “There’s nothing unusual about the meeting,” he said when asked about the DG ISPR’s remarks.
“As a friend, I thought I should brief him (Bajwa) on the state of economy of Pakistan and issues of governance. But at the outset of the meeting I told him in clear words that I had not come to seek relief for anyone in my party, neither had I come on the request of anyone — neither Nawaz nor anyone else.”
پاسداری یاد کرانےکےلئے آئیندہ ہماری جماعت کا کوئی رکن،انفرادی،جماعتی یا ذاتی سطح پر عسکری اور متعلقہ ایجنسیوں کےنمائندوں سے ملاقات نہیں کرے گا۔قومی دفاع اور آئینی تقاضوں کےلئے ضروری ہوا تو جماعتی قیادت کی منظوری کےساتھ ایسی ہر ملاقات اعلانیہ ہوگی اور اسےخفیہ نہیں رکھا جائے گا۔2/2
— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) September 24, 2020
Talking to media, he had said both meetings were held on the request of Muhammad Zubair and he discussed the issues relating to Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz.
Read more: Nawaz Sharif joins Twitter
Shehbaz Sharif, opposition leader and senior party member of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz had also met with the Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa two days before the APC.
Maryum Nawaz yesterday rejected any possibilities of party ‘representatives’ meeting with the army. She was speaking informally to a group of journalists outside the Islamabad High Court when asked about the meetings.
”No representative of Nawaz Sharif has met army chief. If someone has met the army chief he has met on his own.”
سیاسی معملات پر جس نے بات کرنی ہے ان کو پارلیمنٹ آنا چاہیے، مسلم لیگ (ن) نائب صدر مریم نواز شریف pic.twitter.com/UuLGy3KWAG
— PMLN (@pmln_org) September 23, 2020
Speaking informally to journalists outside the Islamabad High Court she had also said that Shehbaz Sharif was always loyal to family, he could have chosen to be the Prime Minister but he chose his brother.
Read more: Hamza Shahbaz returns as battle of the Sharifs’ heats up
Nawaz Sharif also said in his tweets that if for the defense of the nation or constitutional obligations such a meeting was required, after the consent of the party’s leaders, such a meeting would be held publically and not made secret.
GVS News Desk