State machinery working as ‘courtiers for royal family’, says PTI leader

Asad Umar says those who criticised use of ‘container’ in politics are themselves doing the same

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s ‘homecoming’ rally didn’t go down well with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as its leaders accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of using state machinery to organise the procession.

“If you want to see state machinery of Pakistan working as darbaris for shahi khandan instead of serving the state just see the tamasha in Islamabad today,” PTI leader Asad Umar tweeted.

If u want to see state machinery of Pak working as darbaris for shahi khandan instead of serving the state just see the tamasha in isb today

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 9, 2017

Thousands of party supporters thronged the capital to join in the rally towards Lahore via the Grand Trunk Road, setting up camps along the route the ousted premier is expected to take and address supporters.

According to sources, around 1,000 vehicles are with the rally and some 5,000 supporters accompanying the ‘homecoming’ rally.



Nawaz would have overnight stops in Jhelum and Gujranwala before reaching Lahore. For this purpose, PML-N MNAs in both cities have been instructed to make arrangements to accommodate a large number of people.

Referring to the ruling party and its opposition to PTI’s 2014 sit-in in Islamabad over ‘electoral rigging’ in 2013 general elections, the MNA from Rawalpindi said those who criticised the move were now “mounted on container themselves”.

Ranjha ranjha kehndi mein te apey ranjha hoi....container key khilaf taqreerein kartey kartey khud container par charh gaye...Allah ki shan

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 9, 2017

The capital administration, he claimed, had shut down Islamabad to facilitate the ‘royal family’.

The admin which has not allowed people to demand basic rights on the pretext of sec 144 today shutting down isb to facilitate royal family

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 9, 2017

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Shireen Rehman demanded an explanation from the PML-N over omitting Kashmir from the Pakistan map in party banners welcoming Nawaz.

“What is this? Noon posters today minus the map of Kashmir! The explanation better be good,” she said on Twitter.

What is this? Noon posters today minus the map of Kashmir! The explanation better be good pic.twitter.com/rDMIwO9pzd

— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 9, 2017

On July 28, a five-member Supreme Court bench hearing the Panama Papers case of Sharif family’s offshore assets had disqualified Nawaz from the PM’s office for failing to declare a salary, which he had not withdrawn as an executive of Dubai-based company, as an asset when filing his nomination papers in 2013.