LAHORE: PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed has advised party supremo Nawaz Sharif to aim for the presidency rather than the prime minister’s office as he believes he would not be suitable for the prime minister’s seat in the current ‘hybrid plus’ system, The Novinky reported on Monday.
Speaking to a private news channel, the PML-N lawmaker said, “Given Mian Sahib’s ground reality and persona and for the sake of the country, I would advise him to leave the prime minister’s game.”
“What will happen if he becomes prime minister for the fourth time? Will he have his name in the Guinness Book of Records or will he win an Olympic medal? He should not be in danger of being evicted from the office of Prime Minister again…rather he should be the head of state (meaning) the supreme commander of the army. It would be good for him, his party, the country and democracy.”
The senator told the host that the country has seen six prime ministers in the last six years, with three of them going to jail.
Mushahid advised Nawaz to allow someone else from the party to become prime minister.
“I would rather say there should be a national government,” he added, predicting that no one will win a simple majority in the Feb. 8 election.
Asked if the “mother of all trades,” as he put it, applies, Mushahid said: “Certain things are obvious. You bring them in and then you take them out. And if need be, make deals with them.”
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The senator further added: “They are fighting, but there are also (rapprochements) after apologies. Gen Bajwa went on a litany of calling them corrupt. And then there was a hug. Calling (one) a hero, making him a zero, and then making him a hero again with his incompetence (that’s what they do).
The senator said: “Such a gap between the elite and the street cannot stand any longer. It will have to be bridged.”
He said, “The mother of all trades” means that it would be necessary to take everyone along. All three (PMLN, PTI, PPP) are national parties. I’m talking about a party. All three have their bases. Under the circumstances, no one would want to open too many queues.’
Mushahid said, “PTI is in KP, which borders Afghanistan, with which government ties are sour… so it (PTI) cannot be bypassed or ignored. The national interest is also taken into account in the national policy. This is because political parties ensure cohesion in the country.”
The senator also believes that each side will gain something. He cited the way Nawaz Sharif and Maryam were treated at the airport when they returned in July. The senator said they all compromised and accepted the new situation and “were accepted because of that acceptance (of the situation).
All parties participating in the polls have accepted the spheres in which they will operate, he added.
