PTI terms Maryam’s acquittal as ‘NRO2’

PTI leadership has fired salvo at "imported government" after Maryam's acquittal, saying "corruption-tainted rulers" removed Imran Khan to end their graft cases.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership called on Thursday the acquittal of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz in the Avenfield Apartments’ reference as NRO2 (a deal), saying the real reason behind ex-premier Imran Khan’s ouster was to dry clean the “looters”.

“Institutions of Pakistan have lost the trust of the people, whether they give a decision in favor of someone or against, this decision has no value in the public opinion,” PTI Senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry said after the Islamabad High Court’s decision, saying Maryam’s role in the case was beyond any doubt. However, the former information minister said, “It was another dark day in the history of Pakistan.”

Fawad also said that all the “looters” were getting clean chit, saying cases were being disposed of under NRO2 – a deal – but the nation will never forgive. He questioned if the Sharif family was innocent then who looted the money.

“Most unfortunate the Avenfield judgement,” tweeted the former human rights minister Dr Shireen Mazari, who also questioned the ownership of the London apartments, as per the judgment, had it not been the Sharif family.

Mazari also questioned if Maryam’s brother was lying. “Is this handlers’ move to whitewash all corrupt politicians they brought to power?” she questioned. “Imported govt. got NRO2; Dar whitewashed; now Maryam; next NS [Nawaz Sharif]?”

PTI’s Secretary General and former Finance Minister Asad Umar said in a tweet that inflation was increasing day by day and cases of imported government leaders were being disposed of, adding, “these are the main reason[s] for which Imran Khan was removed through conspiracy.”

Since PTI government’s removal, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the party leadership has been building a narrative that the incumbent rulers have come to power to give themselves relief in corruption cases and were busy giving themselves NRO.

Former minister for Energy as well as Economic Affairs, Omar Ayub, said that NRO2 Part 1 was dry cleaning Rs1300b of looted money, adding, “NRO2 Part 2 is to dry clean all the looters.” In addition, Omar said, “When NAB prosecutors are confused about their role whether they are prosecutors or defence lawyers then you can expect courts to give a clean chit to the worst criminals.”

PTI Central Secretary Information Farrukh Habib said that Hussain Nawaz had said that the beneficial owner of the London palace was Maryam Safdar, saying a fake trust deed was created in Calibri font which was not invented in that year.

Habib said that they acquired NRO-2 by appointing blue-eyed NAB prosecutor, adding that Pakistan was paying the price of regime change and all the thieves were being released one after another.

Habib went on to say that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Safdar have not been able to give the money trail receipts of the London palaces till date. However, he said, they managed to get themselves acquitted of their cases, but some people were commenting that the cases were false. “Such NRO-2 would be remembered as a black day,” he said.

Ex-PM’s Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan equated Maryam’s acquittal to that of a scheme rewarding petty thieves, street criminals and pickpockets across the country, saying, “the bigger the robbery, the bigger the chair.” Awan implied that the petty criminals could become respectable minister of the ever-increasing cabinet, saying the jails department should teach the teachings of Sharif family to the criminals so that they could get NRO 2 and airplanes will be at their doorsteps.

Former Energy Minister Hammad Azhar quipped that the PML-N was also a “bit embarrassed” after today's ruling. PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman asked: “please someone explain to me how the London properties are not Maryam's when her brother admitted they were. Does he have another sister named Maryam? I'm confused.”