Lahore:
As a whispering of a meeting of the Dores in the background, the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari in Jati Umra – where he was organized by the Sharif family – triggered silent speculation in the ranks of the PPP to find out if their leaders will continue to criticize the chief minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz with the same candor as in the same candor.
A well -placed PPP chief, addressing the Express PK Press Club, expressed uncertainty as to whether the party’s tone towards the chief would now be reduced by following the high -level but discreet political group.
Repeated attempts to obtain the clarity of senior characters in PPP and PML-N remained unanswered, especially on this point.
Two PPP leaders, asking for anonymity, confirmed that Zardari and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider were organized by Maryam Nawaz Sharif this weekend.
However, they could not determine who else of the Sharif family was present. One thought that Shehbaz Sharif may have attended Reunion, while the other suspected of Nawaz Sharif himself was among the hosts.
Given the nature of the fall in the rally, neither of the two leaders was aware of the content of the discussions.
However, they hypothesized that the meeting could help defuse tensions and to smooth labor relations between the chief minister and the governor, a partnership which was not without its share of friction.
One of the leaders stressed that with the PTI effectively outside the official political arena, the political competition in Punjab had summed up a “duel” between the PPP and the PML-N. He said that in such circumstances, the PPP could not afford to be seen by maintaining openly cordial links with the PML-N, at least not in public.
“Punjab is of the utmost importance if the PPP must form the central government. We may not be realistic to form the provincial government in Punjab, but unless the PML-N really feels threatened over its original lawn, it will never concede space in Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the next mandate for the Prime Minister,” he said.
The same leader said that, according to information received through party lines, some members had been “communicated to relax” on their criticism of sharifs.
However, he added, it is not clear if this advice was rooted in formal instructions or simply a cautious reading of political temperature.
The other leader of the PPP, however, vehemently denied receiving such communication from the party leadership. “We will continue our constructive criticism of this government,” he said.
He added that his own biggest question was why Zardari had stayed in Lahore in the last seven days. “Something feels in his place in this trip.” He noted that all the arrangements at the Governor’s house had been taken at the eleventh hour and very haste.
According to him, an explanation could be that the governor himself is not particularly invested in the maintenance of his official residence.
However, he added a more speculative observation: “It seems that no one knew exactly the duration or purpose of Zardari’s stay, especially at the Governor’s house.”
