Maryam demands level playing field for all parties

PML-N chief organiser says not afraid of elections

LAHORE:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Friday said that her party was ready for elections, and added that it was the only party already busy in election preparations.

However, she added that first, a level-playing field should be given to all parties before holding the polls.

She lashed out at former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan following party leader Fawad Chaudhry's "truck" remarks, saying that they would "puncture" all four tyres.

In the alleged conversation between Fawad and his brother Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, the names of three judges came up.

While addressing a rally in Gujranwala, Maryam said, "Now, I do not need to say anything... wherever we see the truck going, we will understand [what is happening] and puncture all four tyres of this truck."

Talking about another alleged audio leak featuring another PTI leader, she said it was not Maryam who said that they had "people" in Supreme Court (SC).

"Now, do not say the truck you have parked outside the court was driven by Maryam," she said, apprising the rally’s participants about the allegations she, her father Nawaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders faced.

Talking about a contempt of court case against her, the PML-N leader said that why there was no contempt of court case when Nawaz was sacked for not taking salary from his son.

"Nawaz Sharif's daughter is here in Gujranwala. Where is your [Imran Khan’s] daughter? The person who cannot give justice to his own daughter how can he give justice to Pakistan," she said.

Maryam said that when a person like Imran gets certificate of Sadiq and Ameen then the courts get disrespected.

"I used to visit court five times a week with my father. Nawaz used to visit despite his wife being on her deathbed. We used to get orders that Nawaz must come [to the court] within an hour. Now this ladla (darling) shows only his plaster as the courts continue to summon him but there is no contempt [case]," she said.

She said that the decisions against his father used to be given within days, but Imran was being given all the time in the world. "You put a lifetime ban on Nawaz and 10-year ban on his daughter for not taking salary from his son... why was this not disrespectful to the courts," she maintained.

"I have named Zaman Park as Zamanat (bail) Park because he gets bails at his own house," she said.

Hitting out at the recent meetings of the United States officials with the PTI members, Maryam said that when Imran’s government was sacked via the no-trust vote, he built a narrative that they would not become slaves of the US, but the same person was now begging in front of the US officials, seeking their forgiveness.

The PML-N chief organiser said that the audio clip revealed that the PTI leader was interfering with the judiciary.

She also accused Imran of seeking a return to the same assembly which he had left willingly, questioning the PTI chief's decision-making ability.

Maryam even compared Imran with drug addicts who were lying below flyovers, saying that such a person should not make decisions for a nation of 220 million people.

Maryam ended her speech by taunting Imran for removing the plaster on his leg, saying that he did not know it needed an SC verdict to remove the plaster. She also accused Imran of doubling the country's loan and breaking the deal with the International Monetary Fund, which had put the nation in a difficult situation.