ISLAMABAD: Dr Syed Asif Kirmani, former political secretary to ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on Saturday announced that he is quitting the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after criticising senior leaders of the ruling party.
Kirmani, in a surprise statement today, said he has distanced himself from the political affairs of the Nawaz-led party for a long time.
Censuring the PML-N government, the politician said that people were “dying from [inflated] “energy bills and inflation,” while a group of leaders applauded the rulers for their “ineffective government.”
“Nawaz Sharif Sahib! All is not well.”
However, he did not give any hint about his possible joining of another party. Kirmani added that he would soon issue a detailed statement on his decision to leave the party.
Kirmani was appointed by former Prime Minister Nawaz as his political secretary during his government in 2013. He was considered a close aide of the former prime minister and played an active role during the PML-N's election campaign before the party came to power in 2013.
Kirmani became the latest PML-N leader to quit the party over differences with the party leadership's political style and its decision to form a government after the February 8 polls despite allegations of rigging.
Most recently, Abbas Khan Afridi parted ways with the ruling party last month, claiming that party chairman Nawaz is “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 had launched a new political party, Awaam Pakistan, earlier this month, which was joined by several former PML-N leaders, including Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi, Javed Abbasi, Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri, Rana Zahid Tauseef, Zahid Binnouri and Sardar Anwar Soomro.
