LAHORE: Berating PTI Chairman Imran Khan, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said that Khan was "not holding the long march against the coalition government but it was aimed at the establishment."
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Maryam Nawaz said: "When he says that he has recognised the real faces of Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq, then do you think he is referring to Maryam Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, or Shehbaz Sharif? Our faces are etched on his heart. He does not sleep because of our faces [revolving in his mind]. The threat he is issuing is not to us, but to the establishment."
Lashing out at the PTI over the murder of a policeman during a raid at the house of the party’s leader, Maryam Nawaz said that Imran Khan wants bloodshed in the country through the long march. She said that the conspiracy to transform Pakistan into Sri Lanka will not be succeeded.
The PML-N vice president's press conference comes after the federal government decided to not let the PTI's long march go ahead following late-night raids and arrests of the party's leaders.
Continuing her tirade against Khan, Maryam said the PTI chairman also launched "a malicious campaign targetting the judiciary, in which abusive words were used against the judges" as they issued a historic verdict of restoring the National Assembly — after President Arif Alvi had dissolved the lower house.
"But when the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice against Shehbaz Sharif, then you started praising them. I want to request the courts to not lay the tradition of giving verdicts in favour of the person who abuses the courts," she said.
The PML-N vice president asked the courts to issue decisions in favour of the people and the nation and advised the judiciary to "refrain from monitoring social media and the traditional media as well".
Speaking further about the long march, Maryam said the government was worried about PTI's "nefarious designs", and it has intel about the party amassing weapons for use against law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
"They have amassed weapons, shells of tear gas, and planned other things against the law enforcement agencies. The Interior Ministry has intel regarding this," Maryam said.
Maryam said it became evident that the party had amassed weapons after the police constable Kamal Ahmed was shot dead in Lahore during a crackdown against PTI leaders the night before.
"I think the person responsible for the murder of the constable is Imran Khan. But the person who took the like of the constable and their mastermind — Imran Khan — will not be spared," she added.
The PML-N vice president also asked the PTI chairman to call his children to Pakistan for leading the "Azadi March", instead of instigating Pakistan's youth to lay their lives for him.
"A son of the soil — constable [Kamal Ahmed] — was martyred today. What is the difference between Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, and the sons of Imran Khan Qasim and Suleman? The only difference between them is that they are Imran Khan's sons," the PML-N leader said.
"Since they are Imran Khan's sons, they will live abroad, and no one will touch them. They will remain in a safe and sound environment, while the sons of the soil — who spent their entire lives serving the country — will take bullets to their chests just because a person's desire for power does not end?"
Maryam said revolution begins at home and asked Imran to tell his children to stand on the front line instead of directing his supporters to keep backing him and "suffer the beatings of the LEAs".