LAHORE - City’s leading artery, The Mall, has once again been decorated with the flexes and banners in favour of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who along with his three children is defending himself against possible disqualification in Panama leaks case.

Previously, the PML-N ministers and the MNAs had put up the similar show at The Mall by displaying slogans like “Quaid tera ikk ashara, hazir hazir lahu hamara,” which clearly indicated strong allegiance with Nawaz Sharif and willingness to take any extreme action on his command. These flexes and the banners appear to have no other purpose than to charge up the party workers for any bigger show.

This also smacks of confrontational trend of the PML-N but hitherto no indication is available whether this all was going on as per direction of the party command or it was an act of some party MNAs in the city. It may be noted that such display of slogans has also been reported from some other cities including Multan and Faisalabad.

The action may be by anyone, but one thing has come to the fore that the PML-N leadership is not expecting a favourable decision by the Supreme Court in Panama leaks case. The PML-N leaders have termed the Panama ‘a conspiracy against the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his government’ while totally rejecting the JIT probe report.

On Thursday, the prime minister while addressing at Upper Dir on the occasion of Lowari Tunnel’s inauguration stated that the people would not accept JIT and the PTI accountability. He said it was not ‘ehtesab (accountability) but istehsal (exploitation)’ which the partymen will not accept. This clearly aimed at conveying a message to the masses as to what to do in case of adverse decision.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said the other day that the PML-N leadership will be obliged to respect the sentiments of the party workers if they did not accept the SC verdict.

It may be noted here that no flexes or banners can be displayed on The Mall without approval of the authorities concerned and the PHA. If the authorities have not taken any action despite they noted the flexes and banners, it shows they are also on board in this venture.

The slogans displayed on flexes by the PML-N may represent the natural feelings of the party workers when their beloved leader is facing such a testing time. Yet the PML-N has time and again posed itself a party of peace and discipline and the fact how much the party will adhere to these principles would be obvious in the near future, said Prof Karamat, a local resident, when asked about the significance of this making this flexes show.

Lahore is the political citadel of the PML-N which swept the last elections in the city winning all 13 National Assembly and 26 of the 27 Punjab Assembly seats. The party enjoyed huge public support to the lowest level in the city. In the last by-election in NA-122, the party had routed the PTI stalwart Abdul Aleem Khan who was contesting to capture the PML-N seat which then had vacated by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq under the SC order.

However, the PTI had won the Punjab Assembly seat under same constituency through its candidate Shaoib Siddiqui which indeed was a big setback to the ruling party as its tally came down to 25 PA seats.