Party ‘hawks’ forced Sharif to skip Zardari’s ‘historic’ parliament address

LAHORE - A majority of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and several party big wigs are opposed to the reconciliation politics and the increasing closeness with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Punjab, and it was they who advised PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif to skip President Asif Ali Zardari’s ‘historic’ address to Parliament’s joint session.

PML-N insiders said that prior to Zardari’s address, a meeting of party leaders was held during which Nawaz was advised to remain absent from the Parliament’s joint session.

However, senior PML-N leader Pervaiz Rashid, denied any such game plan, and said the meeting was held to brief the party’s Member of Parliament (MP) about the constitutional package prepared by parliamentary committee.

However, Zardari’s coordinator for Punjab, Naveed Chaudhry, has claimed that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had ‘informally’ invited Nawaz for the joint session.

Chaudhry said the PML-N had deliberately “boycotted” Zardari’s address as it did not want to acknowledge his services regarding removing the amendments made by army dictators in the Constitution. (ANI)