PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz has lashed out at former prime minister Imran Khan over his controversial statements on the appointment of a new army chief while daring him to name mysterious figures of 'Mr X' and 'Mr Y'.
Addressing the media outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday, the PML-N stalwart said the ex-premier would malign the entire institution of the military if the next army chief was not appointed as per his choice.
عمران خان جلسوں میں دوسروں کو للکارتے اور رات کے اندھیرے میں ان کے پاؤں پڑ جاتے ہیں۔۔۔کیا ایسا بزدل لیڈر دیکھا ہے؟؟؟ pic.twitter.com/MUr14417fM
— Hina Parvez Butt (@hinaparvezbutt) September 20, 2022
“There are also officers who have given their whole lives to attain this position. Those who consider him [Imran Khan] as their blue-eyed are actually exploiting him,” she added.
Maryam said, on one hand, Imran had no guts to name Mr X and Mr Y and on the other, he was inciting his party workers to retaliate against the alleged threats. Ironically, he always kept his supporters in dark about his late-night meetings, she added.
The PTI chairman on Monday encouraged his party leaders and supporters to threaten back those threatening them from "unknown phone numbers".
Invoking the mysterious figures of 'Mr X' and 'Mr Y', Imran urged the party activists to smash "the idol of fear" and combat their threats with similar threats.
Terming the ousted premier a "non-issue", Maryam called upon political parties to concentrate on the country’s development, progress and prosperity.
“Imran Khan is a non-issue now, and we should not give him any weightage and rather put our collective efforts towards resolving the country’s issues,” she added.
Read Combat threats with counter-threats: Imran
Maryam said she always believed in democracy and democratic norms but did not consider the PTI a political party. It is now the responsibility of all the political parties to come forward and expose a ‘hypocrite and imposter’ Imran Khan before the nation.
Maryam addressed media reports claiming Imran was frustrated after his party members allegedly maintained secret contacts with the establishment and questioned whether the PTI chief had himself informed the party of his own “secret meetings”.
She alleged that Imran had held a meeting with former army chief Raheel Sharif during the PTI’s 2014 sit-in as well. “Tell your party to do only what you yourself do. This can’t happen that you call out someone in rallies and fall to their feet in the darkness of night,” Maryam added.
Talking about the IHC’s decision to strike down the terror charges against the PTI, Maryam said regardless of whatever sections were applied to him, Imran was “a convicted every time because he has done this in front of the world and it doesn’t need to be proved.”
“He is a bully and adopted this method to mock, threaten and clear his way whenever in a difficult situation,” she added.
To a question, the PML-N leader claimed that the government in Punjab is unconstitutional and Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had to go home sooner or later for the betterment of the province.
She said Imran Khan repeatedly blamed the United States for toppling his government, but after a big U-turn, he had now embarked on lobbying with that country.
Maryam also lambasted Imran for ‘maligning’ state institutions and alleged that he and his “coterie” were fully involved in corruption. At the same time, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had failed to produce any evidence in the cases registered against the PML-N leadership, including herself.
She said the violation of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the PTI government and Imran Khan’s incompetence are the main reasons for current inflation.
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