Maryam fires broadside at Nawaz’s critics

Maryam Nawaz, the senior vice president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Saturday countered critics who had prematurely declared the end of Nawaz Sharif's political career, saying that those who had made such claims were in dire political straits today.

Addressing a workers convention in Jalalpur Jattan, Maryam stressed that the people had linked the future of Pakistani politics with Nawaz, despite the challenges he faced for the past 22 years.

Nawaz, she said, had spent a significant portion of his political journey—11 years—in jail and was still entangled in ongoing court cases.

According to Maryam, her father faced false cases and conspiracies, including disqualification over allegations of not taking a salary from his son

Maryam stated that Nawaz's resilience in the face of adversity was a testament to his commitment to public service.

She claimed that Nawaz had experienced imprisonment in various jails across Pakistan and was currently appearing before courts to combat what she termed "false cases" for the past seven years.

The PML-N leader argued that, whenever the decision-making power rested in the hands of the people, they consistently favoured Nawaz. Despite claims from political opponents that Nawaz Sharif's politics had come to an end, Maryam said, “The reality is quite the opposite, as evidenced by Nawaz's return to the country and the people's continued support in elections.”

The PML-N leader maintained that the opponents had failed to present any concrete evidence against Nawaz.

Expressing frustration at the slow pace of justice in her father's ongoing legal battles, she remarked that when her father was finally receiving justice, his critics were asserting that Nawaz was receiving favourable treatment.

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In a pointed reference to political rival Imran Khan, Maryam drew attention to the irony of the person who accused Nawaz of theft and corruption finding himself embroiled in what she termed "the biggest corruption case in the country's history".

She criticised Imran for his alleged involvement in the corruption scandal and his failure to explain the origin of £190 million.

Maryam maintained that Nawaz’s enduring popularity and the lack of substantiated accusations against him spoke volumes about his contributions to Pakistani politics.