LAHORE: A day after long-time Nawaz loyalist Dr Syed Asif Kirmani bid adieu to the PML-N, the PTI suffered a similar setback when ex-minister Shafqat Mahmood announced he was quitting politics, for good.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Mr Mahmood while announcing his retirement from politics hinted at dedicating his life to writing columns, an autobiography and media interactions.

“I have neither announced quitting politics under any pressure nor have any plan to join any other political party,” he declared, explaining that the decision has been taken owing to old age and the “current times”.

Mr Mahmood, 75, recalled he had faced both good and bad times in his political career — from becoming a senator and MNA as well as a federal and provincial minister to being incarcerated.

Shafqat Mahmood announces retirement from politics a day after Asif Kirmani parts ways with PML-N

The ex-legislator stated he had performed all his duties with integrity. “No one has ever dared to blame me for any dishonesty,” he added.

Mr Mahmood, who served as federal education minister in the PTI government, said he dealt well with the education system during the challenging times of Covid-19 as well as gave the nation a uniform curriculum. “I am indebted to PTI founder chairman Imran Khan for assigning me the office of the federal education minister.”

He also thanked the party and his voters for getting him elected.

Mr Mahmood’s tweets attracted mixed reactions.

Retired bureaucrat Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera said he had worked with Mr Mahm­ood and praised his integrity and competence.

“The national political scene will miss your presence, sir,” he added.

However, several partymen took him to task, stating that Mr Mahmood left Imran Khan in trying times but enjoyed the fruit of PTI’s decades-long struggle.

They criticised him for being absent from the May 25, 2022 long march as well as pre- and post-May 9, 2023, events.

Acknowledging the appreciation and criticism, Mr Mahmood asserted he stood with the party pre- and post-May 9.

“I neither did any press conference, nor made a single statement against the party or its founder chairman,” he said and explained that he got himself aloof when he underwent abdomen surgery as well as got a stent implanted.

He accepted the party workers’ criticism that he did not participate in protests and rallies.

The ex-minister said he was satisfied with his 34-year political journey except one regret of quitting PPP and joining the Musharraf regime.

“Since I have decided to write columns as I did for 11 years before joining the PTI in 2011, I thought it right to announce retirement from politics publicly,” he said.

‘Group of sycophants’

Asif Kirmani, ex-senator and political secretary to PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, who left the party a day earlier, said on Sunday “a group of sycophants” within the party is damaging the Sharifs’ politics immensely.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Kirmani disclosed Nawaz Sharif wanted to go into the polls after the no-trust motion against then-PM Imran Khan, but some sycophants travelled to London and persuaded him to form the PDM government for the remaining 16 months of the tenure.

“After the no-confidence move I suggested to Nawaz Sharif PML-N should go into fresh polls within 10 days. Mian Sahib said why in 10 days…we should go into the polls even before that. Then entered the group of sycophants who managed to make him change his mind and the PDM government was formed,” he claimed.

When asked to identify those sycophants, he said: “They are in the advisory council of Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz and they are the ones who also played the role in cornering me in the party.”

“They quit the vote ko izzat do narrative and are now trying to build an anti-judiciary narrative, but paying no attention to provide relief to the masses.

When asked about his future plan, Mr Kirmani said: “Currently, I have no plans to join any party. Had name of Muslim League been part of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s [Awaam Pakistan] party then I might have considered to join it.”

Mr Kirmani claimed that the establishment could no longer bear the “burden” of the current regime. “This system cannot run any longer and it will be replaced with a new one, probably a setup of the technocrats,” he said.

Mr Kirmani, whose father Syed Ahmad Saeed Kirmani worked with the Quaid-i-Azam, had joined PML-N in early 2000 when the Sharifs were in exile.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024