PML-N removes Miftah from party office

Sindh chapter president Shah Muhammad Shah also loses his job

LAHORE (Dunya News) – In a major development, the ruling PML-N has decided to remove Miftah Ismail from the party’s office just days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a gathering in Lahore that there was no room for those criticising and backstabbing Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. 

However, Miftah isn’t alone in his removal from the slot of PML-N Sindh chapter’s general secretary as the provincial president, Shah Muhammad Shah, too lost his spot. 

Read more: Asif urges Miftah to stop public criticism on govt's economic policies 

In this connection, PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz said Miftah – who has been very critical of the government policies – won’t get any party responsibility in the future, describing the performance of Miftah and Shah as disappointing. 

Promising to assigned the posts to new faces, Maryam, while talking to senior party leaders, said what Shah and Miftah were doing when the PML-N members opted to join other parties. The two leaders neither convinced those leaving the party to rethink nor informed the top leadership about the developments, she added.

Miftah has been openly criticising Dar for the government’s economic policies and predicting that Pakistan would soon default – a scenario rubbished by the finance minister repeatedly. 

Read more: Exchange of fire: Miftah says budget isn't sustainable, Dar ridicules default mongers 

He had earlier said he would follow in the footsteps of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, another disgruntled PML-N leader, if Abbasi decided to leave the party.

Both Abbasi and Miftah are great advocates of closing liaison with the IMF and reduced government role in the economic affairs like open market determining the dollar exchange rate and rupee depreciation.

Abbasi is even against importing LNG from Azerbaijan through a government-to-government agreement as he called for assigning the task to a private company.

Miftah has been accusing Dar of conspiring to ensure his removal from the federal cabinet despite the fact that an overwhelming majority in the party was against his pro-IMF stance.

Read more: 'Ishaq Dar hatched conspiracy to oust me', fumes Miftah Ismail