ISLAMABAD: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a former prime minister, has left his position as senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N),
According to sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Abbasi chose to leave the PML-N after Maryam Nawaz was promoted to senior vice president and top organizer of the party by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Abbasi submitted his resignation the day after she was appointed, expressing his displeasure with the decision made without consulting other party members.
Maryam received a promotion earlier this month to senior vice president of the PML-N and was tasked with improving the party’s organization. As “chief organizer,” she was also permitted to reorganize the party at all functional tiers and levels.
After her father, Nawaz Sharif, and her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, the current prime minister, Maryam is now the third most influential person in the party as a result of the appointment. Abbasi reportedly told the party leadership, “Maryam Nawaz is appointed senior vice president and under this situation, there’s no purpose for me to work as party’s SVP.”
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi vehemently denied making any statement to the media on his resignation when questioned.
Maryam’s promotion upset PML-N leaders
However, sources said that her appointment as the party’s senior vice president and chief organizer did not sit well with the PML-founding N’s members. Sources claim that a number of prominent second-tier PML-N leaders are unhappy with the selection and cite a lack of consultation as one of the primary factors fueling their unhappiness.