Shahbaz meets Nawaz in jail, apprises him of political situation

LAHORE: The Sharif family members met former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat jail on Thursday.

Those who called on the jailed leader included PML-N president and the opposition leader in National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, and party’s vice-president, Maryam Nawaz. The meeting lasted for two hours in which Shahbaz Sharif apprised his brother of his meetings with leaders of the opposition parties.

Sources said Nawaz mandated Shahbaz Sharif to hold consultations with the likeminded parties in connection with the multiparty conference. The Sharif family members also had lunch together.

Meanwhile, PML-N leadership and its members in Punjab Assembly on Thursday voiced concern over refusal of permission by the Kot Lakhpat administration to see their leader Nawaz Sharif in jail.

Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, the PML-N MPA, while speaking on the floor of the Punjab Assembly, raised the issue and stated that it was an act of oppression to disallow workers to meet their leaders. He said Thursday was the day when Nawaz was supposed to hold meetings with the visitors, but he had not been allowed. Hina Pervaiz Butt, another PML-N MPA, on the occasion, said Dr Adnan, the health consultant of the former PM was not allowed to see him.

Rana Mashood Ahmed, another senior member of the PML-N, also indulged in war of words with the treasury members including provincial ministers Raja Basharat and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin over the issue. Responding to the criticism of the government over leniency shown to Pervaiz Musharraf, Rana Mashood said Musharraf was allowed to go abroad on the instruction of the court. Responding to it, Law Minister Raja Basharat said that Nawaz Sharif’s case had also been decided by the court. The Punjab government, while responding to the protest and complaint of PML-N members over the issue related to meeting with Nawaz Sharif, said the former prime minister himself refused to see his workers. He told the Punjab Assembly that Nawaz Sharif himself cleared the list of the visitors and it was he who refused to meet the workers. He also added that no other prisoner was given the facilities that had been provided to Nawaz. Agencies add: Shahbaz Sharif, meanwhile, said the selected prime minister (Imran Khan) was fearful of the person who was elected prime minister for three times and who had provided relief to people. Disallowing his personal doctor to meet Nawaz Sharif was deplorable, he added. The Punjab government was a puppet government and that all was being done to the dictates of Imran Khan.

Shahbaz said imposition of a ban on party leaders meeting with incarcerated Nawaz Sharif showed a fascist mindset.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) jails on Wednesday, in an order, barred the PML-N leaders from meeting their detained party supreme at Kot Lakhpat jail.

In his statement, he claimed the premier was fearful of federal budget not being approved in the parliament. “They can do whatever they wish to but we will not let the IMF’s anti-public federal budget to be passed,” the PML-N president affirmed.