Maryam drops broad hint of Nawaz’s return

PML-N vice president calls out Imran for ‘unprincipled criticism’ of establishment

LONDON:

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday dropped hints that the party supremo Nawaz Sharif would return to the country as “no case is now left” after the Islamabad High Court’s observation that the order against the Sharif family in the Avenfield apartments reference was "incorrect".

Addressing a news conference in London, Maryam said the party would be soon taking up the matter legally and Nawaz would be back among the people as his "innocence" has been established.

The PML-N scion’s broad hints that Nawaz was reappearing on the political firmament anytime soon came as former premier Imran Khan is making strides towards Islamabad – virtually the political oasis of the PML-N-led coalition whose clout in provinces has been undercut by PTI's unabated wins at the ballot box.

With the eventual acquittal of his daughter in the case, sources had earlier revealed that Nawaz’s lawyers are preparing to clean up legal thorns on his way back to the country as his party sails through turbulent waters.

‘Imran a political terrorist’

The PML-N leader, who reunited with her father in London last month after three years, fired a volley of criticisms against Imran throughout the presser and put on a brave face about his long march that seeks to squeeze out a date of fresh general elections.

She also touched on the DG ISI's unprecedented press conference which, she said, had blown the lid off Imran's "lies" and also claimed that the nation was demanding answers.

Maryam claimed that Imran was no longer a stakeholder in Pakistan’s politics and the coalition government was unperturbed by his long march. “Whether they [PTI] bring 2,000 or 20,0000 people we will not listen to the demands of ‘armed groups’. They are not democratic people. They are political terrorists."

Maryam, while calling Imran a “political terrorist”, said his ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ to the federal capital is aimed to pressure the incumbent government on the matter of the army chief's appointment.

‘Criticism of institutions’

She alleged that Imran’s criticism of the establishment was not based on any principle but on the contrary, was part of his tactics to ingratiate himself with the powers that be.

Maryam said that every political party in the country had criticised the establishment at one point or another, based on “democratic principles or issues for some correction or to provide realisation about a mistake”.

She called out the manners in which Imran criticised institutions, emphasising that there must be a “standard of criticism”.Maryam said her party had criticised the establishment for its “betterment and course correction”. “They are protectors of the country... they are not saviours of Bani Gala,” she said while referring to the former prime minister's criticism that the establishment did not save his government from the "foreign conspiracy".

Speaking about the unprecedented press conference of top military chiefs, Maryam said the DG ISI exposed the “lies” of Imran who, she said, was “grabbing the collars of those in the day whom he begs in the night”.

She quipped that he stayed mum about the meeting with the army chief while “giving sermons about animals and Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq” to his supporters until the Inter-Services Intelligence chief had to come and reveal the “truth”.
“He doesn’t have answers about the truth. The nation is waiting that some answer will come for the serious allegations and facts against him but he has no answer. All [his] focus is on cursing [opponents].”

The PML-N leader also said no institution was behind the PTI’s long march but added there could be "one or two individuals" behind it.

The PML- N stalwart said Imran is trying to stop the incumbent government from appointing the next army chief by making controversial statements during public rallies and the long march.

She said the appointment of the military chief is the legal and constitutional right of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “He [Imran Khan] should know that process for the appointment will take place amicably."

Opposing any efforts to hold negotiations with Imran Khan, Maryam said the discussions should only be held to formulate a strategy to get rid of fitna [mischief] — a reference to the PTI chief.The ruling party leader said the military’s announcement that it will remain ‘apolitical’, was actually the victory of PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s narrative.

“He always advocated that institutions must work within their constitutional domain.”

Maryam, the PML-N scion, further said that Imran is failing to dislodge the government through his ‘foreign conspiracy’ narrative using his last card — a long march. “Now he is left with no option.”

‘Another scandal to come out’

Speaking about the Toshakhana reference, Maryam said the former premier’s disqualification in the case was just the “tip of the iceberg” as another scandal was to the fore soon.

“Did the establishment ask you to get gifts from Toshakahan [depository]... did the establishment ask you to appoint Bushra Bibi [former first lady] as your front woman,” she remarked.