LAHORE: PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique on Sunday said warning the opposition not to derail democracy were his personal political views and had nothing to do with the PML-N’s policy. The railways minister in a speech on Saturday had cautioned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan that he would not benefit either if the democratic set-up was packed up. Rafique’s assertion had triggered conspiracy theories in the midst of the political upheaval caused by the Panama Papers case. Of the firebrand material PML-N has at its disposal, Saad Rafique has a reputation for being the go-to man in moments of sheer desperation. For instance, he was at his most candid when Imran Khan and his wards were about to enter Islamabad in the climax to last year’s long march on the capital. His warnings to the ‘hidden hands’ now are openly being linked with a PML-N fear of the possibility of an adverse outcome in the Panama Papers case.
Published in Daily Times, July 3rd, 2017.
