Senior PML-N leaders head to London to consult Shehbaz on 'important political matters'

Published December 5, 2019
Speaking to DawnNewsTV, Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PML-N delegation will seek the leadership's guidance on parliamentary matters.  — AP/File
Speaking to DawnNewsTV, Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PML-N delegation will seek the leadership's guidance on parliamentary matters. — AP/File

Members of the PML-N parliamentary group departed for London on Thursday to meet ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and to consult party president Shehbaz Sharif on important issues, said party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Speaking to DawnNewsTV, Aurangzeb said the PML-N delegation will seek the leadership's guidance on parliamentary matters. According to party sources, a meeting of the senior PML-N leadership, headed by Shehbaz, will take place on Friday.

A spokesperson for PML-N's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Ameer Muqam said he had departed from Islamabad to head to London in the morning. However, he added that Muqam had gone on his own, separate from the PML-N delegation.

Meanwhile, PML-N workers confirmed that the parliamentary advisory group for the party was heading to London. According to party members, Aurangzeb, MNAs Khawaja Asif, Rana Tanvir, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senator Pervez Rashid have already left for London while party's secretary general Ahsan Iqbal is expected to leave tomorrow.

The sources added that the group will discuss the law regarding an extension in the army chief's tenure, the appointment of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members as well as politics in the country.

The final decision regarding the law for extending the army chief's tenure will be made by Nawaz, the sources said.

The opposition and government are facing a deadlock over the appointments of ECP members, as both sides have failed to reach a consensus on the matter. Though both Shehbaz and Prime Minister Imran Khan have sent their recommendations for the post to the relevant parliamentary committee, an agreement is yet to be reached.

Members of the opposition on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court requesting it to "pass an appropriate order" in the wake of an impasse in parliament on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two ECP members.

Meanwhile, on November 28, the apex court in its short order announced that Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa would remain the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) for another six months, during which the parliament will legislate on the extension/reappointment of an army chief.

Additional reporting by Adnan Sheikh

Opinion

Editorial

Military convictions
Updated 22 Dec, 2024

Military convictions

Pakistan’s democracy, still finding its feet, cannot afford such compromises on core democratic values.
Need for talks
22 Dec, 2024

Need for talks

FOR a long time now, the country has been in the grip of relentless political uncertainty, featuring the...
Vulnerable vaccinators
22 Dec, 2024

Vulnerable vaccinators

THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel...
Strange claim
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Strange claim

In all likelihood, Pakistan and US will continue to be ‘frenemies'.
Media strangulation
Updated 21 Dec, 2024

Media strangulation

Administration must decide whether it wishes to be remembered as an enabler or an executioner of press freedom.
Israeli rampage
21 Dec, 2024

Israeli rampage

ALONG with the genocide in Gaza, Israel has embarked on a regional rampage, attacking Arab and Muslim states with...