Shehbaz Sharif to be made interim PML-N president: sources

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday called on ex-premier Nawaz Sharif at their residence in Jati Umra, where the former was apprised of being made the interim president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), sources informed Geo News.

At the meeting, Nawaz formally apprised the Punjab CM of the decision, sources said. The approval for making Shehbaz interim head of the party will be taken at a meeting of the PML-N central executive committee on February 27.

Sources further said the PML-N will hold intra-party elections to formally elect Shehbaz as the party president.

Earlier in a statement this evening, CM Punjab Shehbaz said that the faces of those levelling baseless allegations have been exposed.

“Niazi is the captain of liars,” remarked Shehbaz Sharif.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has displayed worst kind of performance in the province, said the CM Punjab.

He further said that any sane person will not give a vote to those doing negative politics in the next elections. 

On February 22, sources said senior party leaders at a high-level PML-N meeting held at Punjab House recommended to make Shehbaz the president as he is a non-controversial and influential person.

Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz is likely to be elected the president of PML-N after Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court.

The apex court of Pakistan had announced its verdict on petitions challenging the Elections Act 2017, ruling that a person disqualified under Article 62 and 63 cannot serve as the head of a political party.

The decision by the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar is considered another blow to the ruling PML-N as Nawaz Sharif will no longer remain the party’s president. As a result of the verdict, all decisions taken by Nawaz Sharif as PML-N’s president stand null and void.