PML-N stalwarts not in favour of forming govt in Centre; Saad Rafique says PTI-backed should take initiative

• Nawaz Sharif advised to focus on Punjab.
  
• ‘PML-N has no desire to decorate crown of thorns on its head’ 
• Javed Latif says leading party should form govt.  

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LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have voiced against forming a government in the Centre, saying that the party has “no desire to decorate this crown of thorns on its head”, The News reported Saturday. 

Taking to X, Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the formation of the federal government was the joint responsibility of all the parties in the parliament, not the PML-N.

Calling on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed candidates, who emerged victorious in the February 8 elections, Rafique wrote: “Independent members supported by PTI should take the initiative, form a joint central government with the PPP.” 

He said no political party had a clear-cut majority and the “PML-N has no desire to decorate this crown of thorns on its head”.

Javed Latif, another PML-N stalwart from Sheikhupura, said that he hopes that the PML-N decides that the party, which emerged victorious with the leading number of seats, should be given a chance to form the government. 

“The plan to create chaos in the country may fail because of this,” he said, adding that “the day PML-N makes this decision, I will reveal for whom the rigging was done and the mastermind behind February 8 [polls]”. 

‘PML-N should focus on Punjab’

Meanwhile, a consultative meeting of the PML-N’s senior leadership was held in Lahore where a proposal was floated that the party should concentrate on Punjab rather than making efforts to form government in the Centre. 

“We should not make the federal government,” Geo News quoted the party leaders telling the PML-N meeting, chaired by party supremo Nawaz Sharif on Friday. 

They said Nawaz suggested that unprincipled demands of any party should not be accepted to form the federal government.

Sources said Shehbaz, Maryam Nawaz, Ishaq Dar, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Rafique participated in the meeting, besides Azam Nazir Tarar, Ayaz Sadiq, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer, Suleman Shehbaz and Malik Ahmad Khan.

The meeting participants suggested to Nawaz, “We should not take the federal government. In Punjab, a government can easily be formed together with the independents.”

According to sources, Dar said with the help of independents, the number of the PML-N in Punjab had increased to 154, and the provincial government could be formed easily.

The meeting participants said that they should focus only on Punjab. Sources said some participants were of the opinion that the only purpose of taking the federal government was that the country was facing a serious economic crisis, and the state needed to be saved.

‘PML-N to form govt in Centre’

Separately, Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday night that the party would form the government in the Centre and make the country stable. Talking to Daily Jang, he said Nawaz made it clear that the party will not form the federal government by compromising on our principles. 

“We will stick to our principles and ensure the development of the country,” he added. 

Iqbal said that it had been agreed in the meeting that the PML-N would form the government in the Centre, while the party had already acquired the numbers to form the government of Punjab.