Imran Khan suffers from Nawaz phobia, says Shehbaz Sharif

His propensity for 'U-turns' was on full display in Washington, says opposition leader

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has taken a swipe at Prime Minister Imran Khan for making “petty and personal attacks” on incarcerated former premier Nawaz Sharif in his speeches in the United States.

“Imran Khan suffers from Nawaz phobia. He does not have the capacity to think about issues beyond NS (Nawaz Sharif),” Shehbaz wrote on his official Twitter handle on Tuesday.

While calling the prime minister “Niazi Sahib”, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly said: “Optics more than substance defined Niazi sahib's’ tour to the US and his propensity for 'U-turns' was on full display in Washington.”

Imran Khan suffers from Nawaz phobia. He does not have the capacity to think about issues beyond NS. Optics more than substance defined Niazi sahib's tour to the US. His propensity for 'U-turns' was on full display in Washington.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 23, 2019

In a separate statement issued on Tuesday, PML-N president said, “Imran wasted an important opportunity of sending a message of unity in his speeches in America. He should have talked about Pakistan and challenges that lie ahead but he chose to make petty and personal attacks on Nawaz.”

He said Imran Niaz’s vision of bankruptcy was now clear. “His pettiness is clear from his statements that he wants to take away TV and air-conditioner from Nawaz.”

He said Imran had proven he was the most unfit person to hold the Prime Minister Office.

“Imran Niazi is focusing more on gimmicks like riding on buses and less on substantive issues that matter to the people of Pakistan. Imran Niazi has once again taken U-turns on his own statements,” said Shehbaz. “The PM talked about bringing Aafia Siddiqui home, but he did not want journalists to ask him questions.”

He said Imran had not mentioned resolution of Kashmir issue on the basis of UN resolutions. “Has Imran changed Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir? In America Imran exposed his dictatorial thinking by saying media needs to be controlled. He is lying by saying the media is free under his government while the media is suffering from the worst kind of censorship,” he added.

Shehbaz demanded of the PM to explain to the nation how he had offered to “do more” for America.

“When Nawaz Sharif talked about better relations with India, Imran called him ‘Modi’s yaar’, but now he is following the vision of Nawaz,” he added.

Nawaz’s vision was better relations with all neighbours. “Imran Niazi is now following Nawaz’s vision,” he added. “He has achieved nothing in his visit to America except proving he is unfit to be the prime minister of this country. He has proved he is a selected prime minister.”

In separate statement, PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said, “The imposed dictatorial regime of the selected prime minister cannot succeed by denying freedom of expression and locking down the entire opposition and every voice of criticism.”

Marriyum said if such tactics could guaranteed success of an imposed regime, dictatorships from 1958 till 2019 would have never ended. “If the country could have been run by choking freedom of the press and subjecting opposition to worst political victimisation, Musharraf would have been a lifetime ruler of Pakistan,” she added.

The former information minister urged Imran not to malign the concept of a democratic republic through his fascist mindset.

These tactics, she said, could not solve the crisis of survival faced by the people of Pakistan who were struggling to feed their families courtesy to the PTI's economic policy disasters.

“You cannot silence the misery of 220 million people living in Pakistan because of your failures even if you continue putting opponents behind bars and shutting down the media,” said Marriyum. “The nation is in a state of despair with soaring inflation, rising unemployment, crippling unfair taxes and lies of the selected prime minister and his army of rented spokespersons.”