Nawaz fears Shehbaz’s ascent in Saudi circles, claims Aitzaz Ahsan

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan claimed on Monday that former premier Nawaz Sharif and brother Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif are undergoing a “conflict”, explaining that Nawaz is fearful of the latter meeting with senior Saudi officials.

Talking to the media here, the PPP leader said that Nawaz did not go to Saudi Arabia on the Kingdom's invitation.

“Shehbaz must have called him, and told him he was meeting senior [Saudi] officials. So Nawaz panicked and travelled to Saudi Arabia,” the PPP leader conjectured.

Commenting on PPP’s participation in the recently held Tahirul Qadri-led All Parties Conference, Ahsan said that the party has not entered into a political alliance with Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek and only attended the moot to express solidarity with the 2014 Model Town incident victims.

The Sharif brothers’ multiple visits to Saudi Arabia have resulted in criticism by opposition parties. PPP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have questioned the reasons behind the visit.

Reports of Nawaz-Saudi deal ‘baseless’: spokesman

The statement said that Nawaz has had long-standing relations with the country and there is no truth in these reports

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah last week, on being asked about Shebaz Sharif's visit to Saudi Arabia, said that it would be worrisome if this visit was aimed at resolving internal matters of the country. “Pakistan is a nuclear country and should have its own policies and rule of rule. We do not need to knock on anyone else’s door.”

However, PML-N leaders have refuted the allegations, saying that Nawaz has had longstanding ties with the Saudis. 

Yesterday, Nawaz’s spokesman condemned as “baseless” reports that the PML-N chied he is in contact with Saudi Arabia to escape accountability, and said Nawaz accepted court verdicts and is facing cases.