Disgruntled party leaders criticise PML-N-led government over inflation and rising electricity prices
ISLAMABAD: Former political secretary to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Dr Syed Asif Kirmani, on Saturday announced his withdrawal from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after criticising the ruling party’s top leadership.
In a surprise statement today, Kirmani said he had long distanced himself from political issues of Nawaz’s party.
The politician slammed the PML-N government, saying people were “dying from (high) electricity prices and inflation” while some leaders were praising the government for “incompetent governance”.
“Nawaz Sharif Sahib! All is not well.”
Kirmani, however, gave no indication as to whether he would join another political party, adding that he would issue a detailed statement soon about his decision to quit the party.
Kirmani was appointed political secretary during the rule of former prime minister Nawaz in 2013. He was considered a close aide of the former prime minister and played an active role in the election campaign before the PML-N came to power in 2013.
Kirmani became the latest PML-N leader to quit the party, disagreeing with its leadership style and decision to form the government after the February 8 general elections despite allegations of electoral fraud.
Last month, Abbas Khan Afridi parted ways with the ruling party, claiming that its leader Nawaz was “no longer relevant in the country’s politics”.
Similarly, PML-N leader and former Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister Miftah Ismail have also parted ways with the ruling party in recent months.
Abbasi and Ismail launched a new political party, Awam Pakistan, earlier this month, which includes several former PML-N leaders, including Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan Abbasi, Javed Abbasi, Syed Zaim Hussain Qadri, Rana Zahid Tauseef, Zahid Binnouri and Sardar Anwar Soomro.