‘Audio clip’ judge lacks courage to quit: Maryam

RAWALPINDI:

PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday maintained that the sitting Supreme Court judge, who was mentioned in the recent former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi’s audio leak, lacked the moral courage to step down from his post even though many days had passed since the recording emerged.

Addressing an activists’ convention in Rawalpindi, the party’s chief organiser said the judiciary should be rid of Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed’s “minions”, adding that these judges should be held accountable.

Raising questions over the conduct of former chief justice Saqib Nisar while referring to him as “Baba Rehmta”, Maryam stressed the need for having honest and impartial judges.

The convention was attended by PML-N stalwarts including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Hanif Abbasi, Pervaiz Rasheed, Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, Senator Afnanullah, Malik Abrar and Javed Latif.

Maryam blamed PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan for the ongoing economic crisis.

Calling Imran “Inflation Khan” and a person “holed up inside a bunker”, she added that her party was ready for elections.

“We will simultaneously throw Imran and inflation out of the country,” she claimed.

The PML-N leader further maintained that the PTI chief was looking for the shoulders of Lt Gen (retd) Faiz and the ‘powerful circles’ to return to power.

She compared the tenure of her father, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, with that of Imran.

Maryam recalled that after becoming the prime minister, Nawaz had started the Motorway project from Rawalpindi and also launched Metro Bus scheme in the garrison city.

Also read: Phone tapping aims to pressure judges, says Imran

She added that it was Nawaz, who had initiated the Murree Expressway project.

In comparison, she claimed that Imran, during his tenure as premier for nearly four years, remained idle at his Bani Gala residence, “stealing watches from the Toshakhana (gift depository)”.

The PML-N leader inquired where the PTI government had spent the billions of rupees it had obtained in loans, especially in Rawalpindi.

She added that the previous government had started the Ring Road project in Rawalpindi, but for its own ulterior motives.

She claimed that her father had always received the country on a downward slide.

She added that Nawaz had always managed to pull the country out of its crises but in return, he was sent abroad into exile.

Maintaining that Nawaz had always addressed the problems created by others, Maryam said her father would return to the country from London because he was a “son of the soil”.

Also read: Courts must ‘wash off stain’ of Nawaz’s ouster, says Maryam

She claimed that Imran had planted land mines for the country by signing an ill-advised agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

She added that her uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was busy removing these land mines.

The PML-N leader further claimed that Imran was using the plaster on his leg -- the one he had received after suffering bullet injuries in an attack on his caravan in Wazirabad, -- as an excuse to evade the courts.

She also criticised the judiciary for ‘being soft' on Imran, pointing out that the judges had been stern with her father.

Maryam also told Imran that when the interior minister would make the decision to arrest him, nobody would be able to rescue him -- not even “his SC judge”.

Speaking on the occasion, the interior minister claimed the PML-N would bag both the seats in Rawalpindi that were previously won by Awami Muslim League chief Shiekh Rashid and his “minion”.

Sanaullah further said it was impossible to hold the elections in two provinces first and the rest of the country later.

He added that if this occurred, Imran would repeat his allegations of rigging as his real aim was to cause instability in the country.

Talking about the PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek (court arrest drive), the minister said he would round up Imran and other party leaders first instead of going after the party activists.

Party stalwart and former premier, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, in his speech said the elections for the National and provincial assemblies were inching closer and no doubt the ruling coalition was in power but everyone was aware under what circumstances it was compelled to take over that responsibility.

He added that whenever the elections were held in a fair and transparent manner, the PML-N had emerged victorious.