I was quoted out of context on ‘charter of economy’: Maryam

PML-N vice-president says all attempts to drive a wedge between the Sharif brothers doomed to failure

LAHORE: Blaming the media for quoting her out of context, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday said that there are no divisions within the party, particularly with her uncle Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the party president.

On Saturday, Maryam had lambasted the charter of economy, proposed by Shehbaz, saying that the government had reduced the economy to a joke. During the same press conference, she had added that the final call on the charter of economy would be made by her father and party supremo, Nawaz Sharif.

The government as well as detractors of the PML-N had pounced on her statement, citing it as proof of schisms within the top leadership of the country’s main opposition party.

Govt says PML-N clearly divided into two factions

In a statement issued on Sunday, Maryam said that her press conference on Saturday was misunderstood and quoted out of context.

She said that she shares an extremely respectful and very cordial relationship with her paternal uncle Shehbaz Sharif and believed that it was her prime duty to take him into confidence over every matter.

"During his budget speech, Shehbaz reminded that his offer for a charter of economy right after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to power was rudely dismissed by the government. The house speaker, Asad Qaiser, said that he would take Shehbaz up on the offer, to which the PML-N president replied, 'it's never too late'", she reminded.

In her press conference, the statement said, Maryam simply pointed out that the PTI regime had made a mockery of the country's economy and had destroyed it beyond repair. “This statement was grossly misconstrued and misrepresented out of context in the coverage of the press conference, which is extremely disappointing,” it stated.

Final call on charter of economy will be Nawaz's: Maryam

The Sharif family, by the grace of God, she said, is united and on the same page without any disagreements or discord. “The rivals of the Sharif family have been working day and night for the past three decades to drive a wedge between the two brothers but the family has stood strong against such conspiracies and will continue to do so in future,” it concluded.

Despite the clarification, Maryam has on more than one occasion criticised the policies of her uncle Shehbaz Sharif.

On Saturday, she had also said that offering the charter of economy to the PTI was equivalent ‘to offering a National Reconciliation Order (NRO) like deal to this incompetent government’.

Although she pointed out that it was her personal opinion, she was unequivocal in her opposition to the charter of economy. “This charter of economy will provide a face saving opportunity to this incompetent government that has already made millions miserable,” she had said.

Earlier this week, Maryam Nawaz had chided all opposition parties including her own for falling short of public expectations and had warned that if all opposition parties did not took a stand for the people of the country, they too would have to face their wrath.