Nawaz-business tycoon meeting creates ripples

ISLAMABAD - Known for his friendship with President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Bahria Town Malik Riaz Ahmad held a detailed meeting with Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif a few days back in Murree at the latters residence. Sources in the government were according great significance to the development as the details about the luncheon meeting between the two were kept secret and it was also not known what had transpired in the meeting between them. The friendship between Malik Riaz Ahmad and President Asif Ali Zardari is proverbial and it was also known to all that Riaz was the man who had played key role in the PPP-PML-Q alliance and that was the reason he was one of the guarantors of the written agreement between President Asif Ali Zardari and Ch Shujaat Hussain. The role of Chairman Bahria Town during the Governors Rule in Punjab was also fresh in the minds of the people when he had allegedly opened the mouth of his coffer to win over the MPAs of Unification Bloc and N-League MPAs to form PPP-led government. The sources aware of the development informed TheNation that business magnate, who is known for ability to woo people, had met Nawaz to mend fences and remove misunderstandings in the mind of PML-N Quaid. The party sources further informed that before meeting Nawaz, Riaz had held a breakfast meeting with Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore and after a break of couple of days he was invited by Nawaz at lunch in Murree where both of them had detailed discussion for well over four hours. Party sources informed TheNation that in the recent past Riaz had allegedly attempted to register bogus votes in Bahria Town mainly to hit the constituency of PML-N central leader and Leader of Opposition Ch Nisar Ali Khan and a case was also lodged by the latter against former. Ch Nisar was against Riaz to the level of abhorrence and the meeting between Riaz with Nawaz would not go well and could create disturbance within the partys ranks. The sources in the party further informed that on the meeting of Riaz with Nawaz many a questions have raised in the minds of the party leaders what prompted the party leadership to have a meeting with a person whose animosity against the N-League was well known.

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