Imran, Maryam in verbal duel on Twitter

PTI chief, PML-N leader bicker over two SC judges in bench hearing suo motu case

LAHORE:

The political feud between the PTI and the PML-N on Saturday turned ugly over the presence of two Supreme Court judges in a larger bench hearing a suo motu case as the former accused the latter of attacking the judiciary in an attempt to “run away from elections”.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz engaged in a war of words on Twitter over the ruling party’s concerns over the two top court judges being “biased”.

The PML-N has been raising concerns over the presence of the two judges in a nine-member larger bench hearing the suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial earlier this week over an apparent delay in holding elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The PTI chairman took to Twitter to mock the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), calling Maryam a [spoiled] brat and describing the alliance's concerns as a “shameless and calculated attacks on SC judges”.

“Shameless [and] calculated attacks on SC judges by the PDM and [spoiled] brat Maryam, nurtured on corruption money, have one purpose only -- to run away from elections even by violating the Constitution,” wrote Imran, who was ousted from the post of the prime minister in April last year through a no-confidence motion.

The deposed premier added that by attacking the SC, “they [current rulers] are damaging the federation and ensuring [that] the law of the jungle prevails in Pakistan”.

Responding to his tweets, Maryam, who is also the PML-N chief organiser, replied in the same tone on Twitter.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Your squeals are not amiss as you have been the king of conspiracies, thriving [and] surviving on them with the help of your Godfather Faiz [Hameed, former ISI DG] and his vestiges,” she wrote.

“Watch the [spoiled] brat checkmate you … Godsons and pawns like you are relegated to irrelevance,” the PML-N senior vice president added as she threw down the gauntlet to Imran.

“Your chor daku [thief and bandit] narrative has not only fallen flat on its face but from being caught red-handed stealing £190 million, to the Toshakhana heist, to signing files for five-carat diamond ring, you are the first-ever PM to be guilty of all forms of corruption,” she further wrote.

On Imran’s allegations, Maryam accused him of avoiding courts and “begging for adjournments”, saying that it was a “glaring admission” of him being guilty.

“The plastered leg will no more save you. Man up, face the law,” Maryam  wrote, challenging Imran to face the courts.

Speaking via video link from his Zaman Park Lahore residence, the PTI chairman again urged the CJP to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens after an employee of the Punjab Education Department was allegedly detained and tortured by police and unidentified people.

The PTI chief reiterated that the dignity of all citizens was a fundamental right protected under Article 14 of the Constitution.

However, he added that the current rulers had “openly violated” the Constitution, appealing to the CJP to take suo motu notice of the matter.

The former premier was accompanied by PTI Sialkot President Usman Dar and a BPS-4 official of the Punjab Education Department, Javed Ali, who was allegedly picked up and tortured.

He asked Ali to tell the nation the “agony” he had suffered while allegedly being held in the custody of the police and  law enforcement agencies.

Narrating the details of his ordeal, Ali maintained that he was called to a place for receiving his salary following which he was abducted by the police in a private vehicle.

“I was blindfolded, stripped and badly tortured by the police and some unidentified people. I was even hanged upside down. Bricks were hanged with my private parts just to obtain a statement against Usman Dar from me,” he claimed.

“When I refused to give a false statement [against Dar] even after such severe torture, they threatened me that they would bring my wife, strip her naked and release her video on the social media,” he added.

Ali continued that his “captors” brought his family to the place where he was being tortured.

“Then I caved in and said what they wanted,” he said.

Reacting over Ali’s statement, the PTI chief appealed to the CJP to take suo motu notice of the incident and order an investigation into the matter.

He maintained that the people only had hope in the CJP and the superior judiciary.

Imran said custodial torture was not allowed anywhere in the world, but claimed that what was happening in Pakistan was its “worst form” for “blackmailing, threatening and weakening the opponents”.

“What happened with [PTI leaders] Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati is not hidden from anyone. How they were tortured and humiliated to weaken the PTI [is in front of everyone],” he added.

The PTI chairman said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz were playing audio clips of the judges to blackmail them.

“When I reacted over the judge’s decision in Shahbaz Gill’s case, I was served a contempt notice,” he said

“However, no one bothered to take notice of Shahbaz Gill’s custodial torture because those who were involved in this illegal practice considered themselves above the law,” he added.

Imran maintained that he had never witnessed such occurrences in the history of the country.

“Citizens are abducted and tortured but nobody is there to give them justice. All this is happening in the country since the appointment of ‘Dirty Harry’,” he added.

Commenting on the formation of a new joint investigation team (JIT) to probe into the Wazirabad attack on his convoy, the PTI chief alleged that the government had appointed all those officers who had attempted to destroy forensic evidence in the case.

Imran also censured the chief election commissioner for constituting a “controversial” interim government in Punjab.