PML-N will consider Aitzaz Ahsan for president if he apologises to Nawaz: Rashid

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Pervaiz Rasheed on Friday said the party will consider supporting Pakistan Peoples Party’s Aitzaz Ahsan for the post of president if he apologises to incarcerated former premier Nawaz Sharif.

“PML-N will only consider Ahsan for the post of president if he visits Adiala jail and apologises to Nawaz Sharif,” the former information minister said while speaking to the media outside Adiala jail where Nawaz and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, are serving sentences in relation to Avenfield properties case.

Rashid did not, however, mention why Ahsan should apologise to Nawaz.

“We are consulting allied parties over fielding a candidate for the presidential election,” he added.

“PML-N has not yet made a final decision regarding its presidential candidate,”  the former information minister asserted.

Last week, PPP nominated Ahsan as its presidential candidate. However, PML-N stated that Ahsan could not be considered a joint opposition candidate.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated Arif Alvi for the presidency.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has scheduled the presidential election on September 4.

'Non-serious demand'

Responding to Rasheed's comments, Ahsan in a media talk said that the PML-N demand is "non-serious and non-political", reminding it that everyone has their own [shelf of] records.

"It is PML-N which needs to see where its interest lies—whether its interest lies in getting opposition candidate elected or that from government," he said.