Our Correspondent
Quetta
Estranged PML-N leaders Abdul Qadir Baloch and Nawab Sanaullah Zehri on Saturday announced that they have decided to part ways with the party.
Addressing a meeting here, Abdul Qadir Baloch, who had retired as a Lt-Gen in the army, said, “I can never think of staying with a group talking against Pakistan Army.” Baloch said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had blamed army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed for the problems being faced by the country. He added that the former prime minister had said that the decisions of the army chief were unconstitutional.
“By doing so [Nawaz Sharif] is sowing the seeds of mutiny in the army,” claimed the former lieutenant general. Defending the army, Baloch said that it was because of the army that there was peace in Balochistan, adding that the country is “nothing without the army”. “Whatever I am, is because of the Pakistan Army. I can’t stand the disrespect of the army chief,” said Baloch. He added that he wants to do politics “with respect” and has the interests of the people of Balochistan at heart.
Baloch, addressing the office bearers of PML-N, said that he had decided to “part ways” with PML-N after the October 25 rally of the Opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement in Quetta.
The former federal minister thanked former Ba lochistan chief minister Sanaullah Zehri for attending the gathering today, saying that he had only invited district presidents of PML-N to today’s meeting.
Talking about Zehri, Baloch said that his son, brother and nephew, had all sacrificed their lives in service of the party’s cause, adding that the party had gained 22 seats in the province due to those sacrifices.
“We sacrificed [our] blood for the party that we associated with,” said Baloch. He added that despite having a majority in the provincial assembly, Zehri was deprived of the chief minister’s post.
“We remained silent and remained with the party despite the unfair treatment,” said Baloch. He also said that Nawaz Sharif as the prime minister did not visit any areas of Balochistan apart from Quetta and Gwadar.
The former federal minister said that Zehri, who is also the chief of the Jhalawan tribe, is his elder. He claimed that the former chief minister was not invited to the PDM gathering on October 25 so that Akhtar Mengal “doesn’t get upset”.
“Nawab Sanaullah Zehri was asked not to attend the meeting. I said if chief of Jhalawan will not be in the rally, then neither will I,” said Baloch. He added that he cannot remain part of a party which disrespects Zehri.
“I will no longer have anything to do with PML-N. Whatever decision Nawab Sanaullah Zehri takes is his personal decision,” Baloch told the office bearers.
He said that had an apology been issued “then maybe things would have been different”, adding: “I will decide on the next course of action after consultation”.
Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, also quit the party on Saturday accusing Nawaz Sharif of “betraying all those who stood by him through testing times”.
“From today, Nawaz Sharif is our political opponent,” said Nawab Zehri while announcing his resignation from the PML-N’s Central Executive Committee. “I’ll chalk out future course of action after consulting my friends and aides.”
Zehri said that he has “broken the shackles” and now he and his followers would expose the “real face of Nawaz Sharif” to the people of Balochistan. “Balochistan belongs to us and we’ll prove this.”
Nawab Zehri mocked Nawaz Sharif for conveniently striking deals to get himself out of difficult situations. At the same time he heaped praise on the late PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for staying put in the face of imminent death.
“He [Bhutto] refused to bend and file a mercy petition to dictator Gen Ziaul Haq and preferred death,” Nawab Zehri said while calling it the “true character of a real leader”.
“A deserter doesn’t deserve to be called leader,” he said while referring to Nawaz Sharif who has been declared “proclaimed offender” by courts after his refusal to return and serve out seven-year sentence awarded to him in a corruption case. “He should return to Pakistan and fight,” Nawab Zehri added.
