Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Saturday that there is no difference of opinion among PML-N party leaders that confrontation with the higher judiciary of the country is not a wise idea.
While addressing a press conference in Taxila, Nisar said that the difference exists within the party on the "execution" of the policy, adding: "This difference [about confrontation with the judges] has grown deeper and serious. I want to solve it through dialogue."
The senior PML-N leader stressed he was not alone in advocating a policy free of clash with the judiciary, saying that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif propagate the same.
Nisar said that it is common knowledge that he has been a "devil's advocate" to his party chief Nawaz Sharif and the advice that he presented at a meeting of the federal cabinet last year is also well known."When you launch personal attacks on judges it is wrong and I pointed that out," Nisar said. He said he hadn't criticised Sharif or his outspoken daughter Maryam Nawaz over their criticism of the judiciary, before asking, "Am I being a hypocrite?"
Nisar said only the upcoming general elections will decide who becomes the prime minister of the country.
When questioned about his previous remark that Maryam lacked the experience to lead PML-N, Nisar in turn asked whether he had said anything wrong at the time.
"You tell me, can I work under children?" he said in a reference to Maryam, adding that "a person has some dignity."
When pressed again whether he would accept Maryam as the party's new supremo, Nisar said there were many senior leaders in PML-N who could be considered to lead the party.
"Why are you stuck with Maryam and Hamza [Shahbaz Sharif]?" he asked a reporter, before saying,"I can work under a senior but I cannot work under a junior. I am not a political orphan that I refer to a junior as 'sir' and 'madam'."
Irked by the barrage of questions about Maryam, Nisar said in a lighter vein: "Next time there is a presser here, please post a board above saying that it is forbidden to take Maryam Nawaz's name in this [press conference]."
Nisar announced during the presser that he will remain active within the party.
