Mohammad Zubair appointed Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz's spokesperson

LAHORE: PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair has been appointed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz's spokesperson.

"Maryam Nawaz is an unarmed girl. Sheikh Rashid has been doing politics for the past 50 years and all he does is issue threats every day," said Zubair, addressing a news conference. "Can't you do politics? Can you only issue threats?"

Zubair criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that the premier had resorted to personal attacks against Nawaz in a recent interview. The former Sindh governor said that it was unfortunate how the government was labelling others as 'traitors'.

"We [the PML-N] never distributed certificates of patriotism," he told the press, in reference to when the PML-N was in power and it had developed difference with its rivals, the PPP and the PTI.

He spoke about allegations levelled by that Nawaz had met three Indians in secret. "Mian Nawaz Sharif does not need three Indians," Zubair said. "Mian Nawaz Sharif has the strength of 220 million Pakistanis with him."

The PML-N leader said that it would make sense for a person to seek India's help if the circumstances were not favourable for him in Pakistan. However, he cited an IPSOS survey, saying that most people in the country did not think Pakistan was headed in the right direction.

Zubair said that the government was not addressing the issues of the public rather, it was fixated on trading barbs with the opposition.

"Every day, there are 15 press conferences. Shehbaz Gill does press conferences, Shahzad Akbar does press conferences, all other ministers do the same. Faisal Vawda does press conferences as well. But you will never hear them talk about the issues facing the public," he said.

He praised Nawaz's speeches that he made at the opposition's multi-party conference and later, at the PML-N's CEC and CWC meetings. Zubair said that there were few instances when a leader had spoken with such clarity as Nawaz had in these instances.  

Zubair challenged the government to do politics instead of resorting to underhanded tactics against the PML-N. He said that various attempts had been made in the past to break up the party but they had failed.

"There is only one narrative in the party and that is the narrative of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif," he said.

Gen Bajwa-Zubair meetings

The development comes after PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz said last month that no representative of Nawaz had met the army chief.

In an informal conversation outside the Islamabad High Court, a journalist had asked Maryam if the "establishment" and the PML-N leadership had come to "an agreement" since Nawaz's speeches along with hers were aired on television.

"Maybe the media should tell us why our speeches are being broadcast," she had responded, saying "tyranny and pressure tactics" only work to a certain extent and are not always fruitful.

The PML-N leader had denied knowledge of a dinner being hosted at the General Headquarters (GHQ), adding however, "I believe the political leadership was called over to discuss the issue of Gilgit-Baltistan".

Hours later, DG ISPR Maj Gen Iftikhar Babar said that two meetings between Zubair and the army chief had taken place at the former Sindh governor's insistence.

The military's spokesperson — speaking to a private news channel — had said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz were part of the discussion. The meetings, Gen Babar Iftikhar said, were held at Zubair's request.

Read more: Gen Bajwa met PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair twice, confirms DG ISPR

The first of the two meetings took place at the end of August — in which ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed was also present — while the second took place on September 7, he stated.

The army chief made it clear during the meetings that legal problems will be solved by the courts and that political problems should be handled by the parliament.

"The army chief had said that the armed forces must be kept away from these talks," said the DG ISPR.