According to PML-N sources, Mian Nawaz Sharif, endorsed by Ishaq Dar, was opposed to raising petrol prices.

 


ISLAMABAD: An unexpected conflict between both the London PMLN and the Islamabad PMLN on the financial handling of the Shehbaz Sharif administration occurred Tuesday night, prompting Mian Nawaz Sharif to leave the party convention that he had attending via video link from London.


According to PMLN sources, Mian Nawaz Sharif, who is supported by Ishaq Dar, is opposed to raising the price of gasoline. Miftah Ismail and Shahid Abbasi believed that the country's economic condition was delicate and needed to be handled with care. According to an Islamabad-based PMLN senior, the administration should not be pressured by the London PMLN on economic issues in order to avoid jeopardising the Pakistan-IMF accord.

The London PMLN complained that the government might have negotiated a decent bargain with the IMF, but was told that it could either come to Pakistan and accept responsibility, rather than let Islamabad make the choices.

It was pointed that there was a clear procedure in place for reviewing petrol prices, that now the government was not involved in it, and that meddling with it could result in major difficulty.

Following these disagreements, Nawaz Sharif chose to leave the meeting, stating that he could not be a part of any government decision. Such an argument had never been heard before. According to an insider, the language used in these debates facing the London PMLN was improper, which irritated Nawaz Sharif.

Interestingly, Maryam Nawaz was the one who made it public in a tweet Tuesday evening that Mian Nawaz Sharif had vehemently opposed the government's move to raise the price of gasoline. She said that Nawaz Sharif stated that he would not tolerate even a paisa hike and that if the government were forced to make a decision, he wouldn't be a part of it. Maryam went on to say that Nawaz Sharif eventually exited the session.

Although Maryam did not address the debate, insiders stated that what the PMLN observed last night was the consequence of a schism within the party over the country's economic management. Marriyium had already opposed the hike and stated that she could not support the government's decision.