LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Saturday continued ‘scathing diatribe’ against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, claiming ‘remnants’ of former spy master Lt-Gen (r) Faiz Hameed still exist in the establishment and extending support former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“He is still being facilitated by the ‘remnants’ of the previous establishment, as their interests are interlinked”, the PML-N SVP Maryam Nawaz said in an informal conversation with reporters and an interview with Geo News. The PML-N linchpin said that no other state institution was backing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman.
She said PTI’s defeat was certain as “Imran Khan won’t be able to escape punishment in any case whether it is Tyrian White, Toshakhana, or foreign funding”.
The ruling party leader said the PTI chief was not appearing before the courts on the “pretext of plaster on his leg”.
“No one has been given as much leniency as Imran Khan is being given by the judiciary. Despite being caught red-handed, no action is being taken against him. There is no greater injustice than the double standards of justice,” she remarked.
“The judiciary has to hold accountable and prevent a couple of characters [from supporting Imran Khan],” she added.
Refering to the judiciary, Maryam underscored that institutions do not get weak if a few individuals are held accountable.
“Their accountability must be done by the judiciary itself,” she said without taking any names.
Maryam said the judiciary would have to absolve her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who has been living in London since November 2019 on health grounds, of trumped-up charges “otherwise the future path will be difficult”.
“Nawaz Sharif will return home soon and he will be honourably acquitted because those who sentenced him confessed that they gave the verdict under duress,” she claimed.
Commenting on Khan’s resistance to face the court for the numerous cases against him and the judiciary constantly requesting him to appear before it, Maryam said this is the first time she has witnessed that a politician was not obliging to the court’s orders despite repetitive reminders.
Maryam added that the judiciary has judges who are honest and full of integrity, but there still exists some ‘remnants’ of Gen (r) Faiz through which they operated.
“Not the institution, but some people are supporting Imran,” she elaborated, claiming that the cricketer-turned-politician is still involved in “deals” and therefore wasn’t appearing before the courts.
Continuing to mock Khan, the PML-N senior vice-president said that while he can go to Rawalpindi for his party’s gathering with his injured leg, he “cannot appear before the court”.
The politician added that if fingers are raised on the judiciary, it will have to conduct its accountability.
Speaking about the way Khan was facilitated to form a government in the past, Maryam said: “People of our party and those from others were separated to create his party. Those who didn’t support him were selectively disqualified.”
She claimed that the deposed prime minister’s government — which was ousted following a vote of no confidence in April last year — was guided for four years.
“Money was brought from abroad for them when they needed it,” the PML-N scion said.
Maryam deemed the content of the alleged audio leaks of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as bench fixing. “I said long ago that bench fixing is happening. Parvez Elahi’s leaked audio is its evidence.”
In response to another query, Maryam said that the PML-N and PTI cannot be compared at all. Slamming Khan, she said, “You offered an extension to [former army chief] Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.”
She maintained that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not come to power because of Gen (retd) Bajwa but Khan’s incompetence.
‘This is Nawaz Sharif’s homeland’
In response to a question regarding the return of PML-N’s supremo, she said that this question wasn’t applicable to them, adding it should be asked why he had to leave the country again and again.
“This is [PML-N supremo] Nawaz Sharif’s homeland and he will return to the country,” Maryam said.
The PML-N leader added that no such example will be found in Pakistan’s 75-year history where a leader of the country’s biggest political party was subjected to victimisation in the name of accountability.
“Fake cases were lodged against him and he not only appeared before the law [judiciary], but also accepted the victimisation with dignity in the larger interest of the country,” she added.
The former prime minister returned to the country despite fears of imprisonment, Maryam recalled, adding that the PML-N supremo bravely faced political victimisation.
“Nawaz is called in whenever the country heads towards disaster. He returns and makes the country self-reliant, but then an adventurer comes and ousts him,” she said.
The PML-N stalwart said that the country’s wealth was wasted on collecting shreds of evidence against Nawaz but they could not find anything.
Maryam Nawaz claimed that Nawaz Sharif thwarted Khan’s 12-year plan to rule Pakistan.
The PML-N senior leader added that the PTI chief drafted a 12-year plan to rule the country; however, his plans were thwarted by her party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif.
“Imran Khan wanted to make the next appointment, but could not do so,” she said in an apparent reference to the army chief’s appointment. “Nawaz Sharif did not panic and his [Khan’s] plan failed,” she claimed.
Speaking about the possibility of elections, the PML-N leader said while she is preparing for elections, she doesn’t care when they are taking place.
“We are ready whenever the election takes place. I am going to the public,” Maryam said while claiming that her party is working hard and will win the polls.
Commenting on the rising levels of inflation, Maryam agreed that people will not respond well to it. However, she mentioned her government rebuilding the economy which the PTI-led administration in Islamabad had ruined.
“The country is under development. The focus should be on progress,” she said while highlighting the PML-N’s ideology of performance and how Pakistan will have to return to it.
