Shahid Khaqan, Maryam Nawaz emerge as key players in PML-N overhaul

LAHORE: Main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz witnessing an overhaul after party’s president Shehbaz Sharif has extended his stay in London, while supreme leader Nawaz Sharif will soon return to jail.

Party president Shehbaz Sharif in a statement announced to nominate former prime minister and PML-N stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as Senior Vice President of the party.

While Maryam Nawaz, party supremo Nawaz Sharif’s political heir, has been appointed as vice president. Another party veteran Ahsan Iqbal has been named as central secretary general of the PML-N.

Former finance minister Ishaq Dar, who has been wanted in scores of corruption inquiries, has been posted as president of the overseas chapter of the PML-N.

Former national assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Abid Sher Ali, former governor of Sindh Mohammad Zubair, Hamza Shehbaz, Pervez Rasheed, Rana Tanvir and Khawaja Saad Rafique have also been named vice presidents of the former ruling party.

Rana Sanaullah has been posted as provincial president, Awais Laghari as general secretary and Malik Ahmed Khan as joint secretary of the party’s Punjab chapter.

Marriyum Aurangzeb will be the information secretary and spokesperson of the PML-N.

The party’s president has also announced an economic advisory council of the PML-N with Shehbaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan, Ahsan Iqbal, Ishaq Dar, Miftah Ismail and Mushahid Hussain Sayed as its members.

The PML-N on Thursday decided to nominate Rana Tanvir as the new head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), after party president Shahbaz Sharif stepped down from the position.

It is pertinent to mention that Shahbaz was elected as PAC chairman five months after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) came to power as the ruling party was reluctant to give chairmanship of this vital parliamentary body to the opposition leader.

The party also decided to appoint the party veteran Khawaja Asif as PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly.

Shehbaz Sharif’s suddenly stepping down from the two key parliamentary positions indicating towards a likely change in the politics of the PML-N, which has sparked intense speculations.