'I am told someone else is running parliament,' Nawaz tells PML-N's Central Executive Committee

 Former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that he has been informed that "someone else" was running the parliament, in lieu of its members.

"People tell me that somebody else is running the parliament. people come and provides directions about the day's agenda and voting on bills etc," he said while virtually addressing a gathering of the party's Central Executive Committee.

Nawaz was echoing a sentiment expressed earlier by his daughter and PML-N vice chairman Maryam Nawaz, who had said that political decisions should be made within the parliament, not at the overall Headquarters.

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Maryam was responding to an issue from a reporter about Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa and head of the ISI Lt Gen Faiz Hameed's meeting with key opposition figures.

Commenting on the country's current political situation during today's meeting, Nawaz said: "We have broken freed from the colonisers only to be enslaved by our own. Today, we aren't free citizens."

In another video shared by Maryam, the previous premier said that a colonel might be seen hiding his face during the hearing of a case against him by the National Accountability Bureau.

"What was the rationale behind hiding his face? You were being insincere that's why you hid your face," he said.

Nawaz, during a separate statement released by the party, also said he was saddened by the arrest of his brother and Leader of the Opposition within the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

"However, our spirits won't be dampened by what's happening," he said, adding that the party would double its efforts. "We are proud that our party workers face the present situation with courage. there's no example in history of the treatment administered to our youngsters ," he said.

He added that Shehbaz has shown unparalleled strength and courage during these times and paid tribute to his brother for serving the state with honesty. "He worked day and night to line up power plants in Punjab."

Nawaz also paid tribute to the efforts of state officers who played a task in addressing the energy shortage. Commending his brother on his resilience, he said Shehbaz never loaded down within the face of difficulty.

"Shehbaz has played a task in strengthening our narrative. i'm pleased with my brother who has sent an example of being loyal and committed to one's ideology," he said.

The meeting was called to debate things arising out of Shehbaz's arrest and to formulate a future strategy in light of the present political situation, PML-N spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Twitter earlier today.

'Decisions in favour of the public'

PML-N vice chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi speaks to journalists after an opposition meeting. — DawnNewsTV/File

PML-N vice chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi speaks to journalists after an opposition meeting. — DawnNewsTV/File

Speaking to the media after the meeting, PML-N vice chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Nawaz had stressed that the opposition alliance should take decisions that might be in favour of the general public .

In today's meeting, Abbasi said, the alliance had decided what the opposition's stance would be. He also criticised the govt and said: "The speaker and therefore the government runs the parliament. you've got seen the way they run it. In two years, the issues of the people haven't even been discussed once."

Relations between the PTI-led government and opposition became more tense in recent days after the latter held a conference where they announced a wide-ranging anti-government movement and criticised what they termed because the military's interference in politics.

Following the conference on September 21, during which Nawaz had bitterly criticised the Army's 'interference in political matters', variety of revelations came to the fore regarding civil-military meetings.

Most notably, it had been disclosed that Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa and head of the Inter-Services Int­elligence Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had held a gathering with key opposition figures days before their multiparty conference and cou­n­selled them to refrain from dragging the military into political issues.

Prime Minister Imran reportedly said he was conscious of the meetings, and accused the opposition of eager to create a rift between the govt and therefore the soldiers .