ISLAMABAD: A day after the ouster of Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, the party’s top brass on Thursday decided to get MNA Kulsoom Nawaz, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment in London, elected as the next party chief. Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified from the PML-N presidency by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, chaired a party meeting at the Punjab House after appearing before the accountability court which is hearing corruption references against the Sharif family. The meeting reviewed the situation after the apex court verdict which has also nullified all the decisions taken by Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president since Panama Papers case verdict in July last year. The party leaders discussed the fallout of the Supreme Court verdict, its impact on the upcoming Senate elections and the party’s future course of action. Addressing the meeting, the former prime minister reiterated his earlier comments that the decision by the Supreme Court was not unexpected, adding that the clause that was struck down by the apex court was agreed upon by all the political parties in 2014. According to sources, the participants of the meeting agreed to get Kulsoom Nawaz elected as the party’s new president. None of the participants reportedly suggested that Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif should replace his elder brother.
Published in Daily Times, February 23rd 2018.
