No differences with Bilawal, insists Maryam
I’m Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, I’m aware of the politics of tolerance and know how to follow it, says PML-N leader
In a file photo, Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz at the PDM's first political event in Gujranwala. SCREENGRAB
LAHORE: As rifts between two main opposition parties making headlines, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has insisted that there are “no differences” with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Talking to the media after getting pre-arrest bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday, the PML-N stalwart said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is being “run by everyone except the institution itself”.
“I am not an easy target now,” she added.
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) March 24, 2021
The PML-N leader said Prime Minister Imran Khan's government is in trouble and the anti-graft body will not be allowed to save his sinking ship. Maryam said there are no differences with the PPP and such ups and downs are a part of politics.
The PML-N vice-president said she has good relationship with Bilawal. “I am Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, I am aware of the politics of tolerance and know how to follow it.”
The PML-N and the PPP have separate strategies and some common goals under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), she added.
— PML(N) (@pmln_org) March 24, 2021
Earlier today, the LHC approved Maryam’s interim bail till April 12 and barred NAB from arresting her.
A two-member bench heard the PML-N leader’s plea as she moved the court requesting an interim bail ahead of her NAB hearing on March 26. The LHC directed Maryam to appear before the NAB investigation officer. The court issued notice to the NAB chairman and summoned reply in the next hearing.
PML-N’s Captain (retd) Safdar, Rana Sanaullah and Pervaiz Rashid were present in the courtroom along with Maryam who has been summoned by the anti-corruption watchdog in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills and illegal land transfer cases. She had challenged the NAB notices afterwards.
Maryam upheld that the opposition alliance will decide its own course of action without any outside interference.
She also spoke about the Punjab government’s decision to declare NAB's Lahore office premises a 'Red Zone', calling it a cowardly act.
She said that the move shows the government was trembling in fear of an ‘unarmed’ woman.
The PML-N leader further claimed that she was summoned to the NAB office and attacked, adding that her car was targeted by a laser gun which was recorded on video.
'Red Zone'
A day ago, the Punjab government declared the premises of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)'s Lahore office as 'Red Zone' for March 26.
Maryam, the daughter of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, is to appear before the authority in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills and Raiwind land transfer cases.
Giving the bureau's request a nod, the federal interior ministry approved the deployment of Rangers and police at the office's premises for the day.
As per reports, contrary to speculations rife in the provincial capital, the authorities may not arrest the PML-N leader on the occasion. Instead, Maryam will only be presented with a questionnaire pertaining to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Afterwards, she will be questioned regarding the family's property in the Raiwind land transfer case.
(With additional input from our correspondent)
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