‘Political victimisation’: Political leaders react to Shehbaz Sharif's ‘sudden’ arrest

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, PPP's Khursheed Shah term arrest political victimisation

ISLAMABAD /LAHORE: Strongly reacting to the arrest of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, opposition leaders have accused the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of resorting to ‘political victimisation’ of the largest opposition party ahead of the upcoming by-elections.

In a Twitter message, Shehbaz’s elder brother and former premier Nawaz Sharif was quoted as declaring the arrest not only ‘sad’ but also ridiculous. “As Punjab CM, Shehbaz has set a glorious example of service, trust and integrity. The people of Pakistan as well as foreign governments and international institutions have acknowledged Shehbaz Sharif’s contribution,” Sharif reportedly said.

شہباز شریف کی گرفتاری نہ صرف افسوسناک ہے بلکہ مضحکہ خیز ہے۔

وزیر اعلیٰ پنجاب کے طور پر شہباز شریف نے خدمت، امانت و دیانت کی شاندار مثال قائم کی۔

پاکستان کے عوام، غیر ملکی حکومتوں اور عالمی اداروں نے شہباز شریف کی خدمات کا اعتراف کیا: نواز شریف pic.twitter.com/fKtekjk25z

— Zeeshan Malik (@ZeshanMalick) October 5, 2018

Addressing a press conference in Lahore after the arrest, Shehbaz’s son and Punjab Assembly’s Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz said the arrests of the PML-N leader right before elections is  is an attempt to give the PTI a walkover in the by-elections

He said the PTI should team up with NAB to ensure more arrests of the PML-N leaders “but that would not break our spirit… in fact after today we are in high spirits and even more powerful than before.”

“The real concern of the PTI, which has formed its government by a slim margin of four votes, is that if the by-elections on 11 National Assembly seats are won by the opposition parties, they will end up losing their government.

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“Imran Khan has to realise that the government cannot run its affairs by instilling fears in the hearts and minds of the people of Pakistan. The PM must come out of the container and the opposition-mode and have a big heart,” he added.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also criticised the PTI government for ‘pursuing policies of the 1990s’, adding that statements of federal and provincial information ministers proved beyond doubt the ‘vindictiveness’ of NAB “which is being used as an instrument of political expedience against opponents”.

“The opposition leader was called by NAB in water filtration case but was arrested in a public-private partnership venture, Ashiyana Housing Scheme, without any case, warrant or prior intimation, ignoring the undeniable fact that it was Shehbaz Sharif’s government that had pointed out lapses, which resulted in a decision not to pay a penny to the company concerned,” she said in a media interaction.



“When you install Usman Buzdar [in Punjab] as a ‘product of change’ in place of Shehbaz, whose untiring efforts, honest and visionary initiatives have been acknowledged domestically and Internationally, apart from the complete failure on the part of PM Niazi’s regime to provide any relief to poor or solid policy interventions to boost economy, people will cast vote against the PTI,” she added.

PPP cautiously reacts to Shehbaz’s arrest

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the second largest opposition party, also condemned the arrest, with the former opposition leader calling its ‘pre-poll rigging’.

“It is the first time since 1985 that an opposition leader has been arrested. The arrest ahead of by-elections is a hint towards pre-poll rigging,” said PPP’s Khursheed Shah.

“The arrest of the opposition leader has insulted parliament. The government is taking such actions due to its failures over its 100-day plan,” he added.

Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said his party had been asking the PML-N to work together on controversial NAB laws and Article 62 of the Constitution which were later used to disqualify former PM Nawaz Sharif and now to arrest of his younger brother Shehbaz.

“The statements of information minister [Fawad Chaudhy] show that the arrest was made at the behest of the incumbent government,” he said, adding that NAB might arrest people when it had solid evidences, but the institution was being misused for political motives.

“The [July 6] decision of an accountability court and later the acceptance of the bail application from Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar are proofs of NAB’s incompetence,” he added.