ISPR DG can’t endorse a lie to please Imran, says Maryam

PML-N leader says govt hasn’t increased petrol by a single rupee of its own accord

ISLAMABAD:

A day after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar dismissed any political edge to his remarks rejecting any foreign conspiracy behind the previous government’s ouster, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said that the military spokesperson cannot turn a lie into the truth to please former prime minister Imran Khan.

Addressing the media in the federal capital, the PML-N leader said that the ISPR DG’s statement was not his individual opinion, but it was a representative statement of the security forces.

Responding to a question, she said that the question is not whether there was a conspiracy or an interference, rather it is about Imran saying that it is a political issue that the military spokesperson should not speak on.

“Imran Khan, if this was a political issue, why did you take it to the National Security Council?” she asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief.

Read Sharjeel says ISPR gave final word on false narrative of PTI

She said that the ISPR DG cannot turn a lie into the truth to please the former premier. “Now there is no need to explain to anyone,” she added. She further claimed that the PTI chief has repeatedly proven to be a liar.

The PML-N VP said that she alone was enough for Imran and his “fake party”, adding that the ex-PM “hid in a bunker” in Peshawar for a month out of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s fear.

Trying to school the PTI chief in revolutions, Maryam said that “you have to take the lead for the long march” as revolution does not come by leaving the children of the people in front of the state.

She accused the former premier of corruption, saying that under his watch the “biggest robberies” of Pakistan’s history took place. “Cases will be made against them,” she added.

The PML-N leader remarked that elections should be held on time, and the government needs time to take steps to stabilise the country after tough decisions. “The PML-N government does not need any crutches,” she remarked, adding that the previous government did, and as soon as they were removed, it collapsed.

She said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif neither increased the petrol price by a single rupee nor did he impose any additional tax, rather it was because of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreement, and had they not abided by it, the country would have gone bankrupt.

She said that the former premier laid landmines for the incumbent government, adding that these are the “fruits of the July 2019 agreement” that Imran made with the international lender.

She said that the incumbent premier is committed to the implementation of the said agreement. However, she added that under this agreement, besides the removal of subsidies, sales tax was to be levied, after which the price of petrol would have been Rs300 per litre.

She claimed that former interior minister Sheikh Rashid had acknowledged this “trap” himself.

Read more No conspiracy, demarche given on interference: DG ISPR

Regarding PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s tweet about former military president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s return to Pakistan, the PML-N leader said that it was purely on humanitarian grounds.

“He oppressed our family, but Nawaz Sharif showed a big heart,” she said. “When Benazir Bhutto was martyred, Nawaz Sharif was the first to reach the hospital.”

She added that when Imran fell from the container and was injured in 2013, the PML-N supremo cancelled his election campaign and rushed to the hospital. “Nawaz Sharif does not believe in retaliation,” she remarked.

Regarding the crackdown on Baloch students protesting against enforced disappearances, she said that it was “extremely cruel and abusive”, and she condemns it.

“I am with the Baloch students, and I will stand up for them,” she added. “I will definitely contact the Baloch protesters who have been subjected to violence, and become their voice.”

“Balochistan is also a part of Pakistan and a part of my heart,” she further said.