Nawaz wants not just govt but also accountability

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Friday his party wanted not only to form governments after winning elections, but also conduct accountability of those who staged his ouster in 2017 and destroyed Pakistan.

Addressing a PMLN leaders and the parliamentary board meeting here, Nawaz said he did not return to the country only to form a government, but he also wanted action against those involved in corruption and political victimisation.

He said: “The nation should know that those who used to cry ‘thief’ for everyone else, are themselves thieves, the biggest thieves. [They shall be held accountable], this is our demand,” he added.

Nawaz said: “Our demand is not to form governments after winning elections and then roam around in big cars” but serve the country with full determination. The PMLN also wanted the truth to be brought before the public, he added.

Flanked by PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other leaders, he chaired the party’s parliamentary board meeting in Lahore.

About the corruption cases, registered against him and his family members, Nawaz said those who lodged “bogus cases” should be taken to task. “Our party leaders were put behind bars in false cases, and I am being delivered justice after a period of seven years,” the PMLN supremo said.

During the meeting with the party leaders, Nawaz said they wanted to serve the nation but, at the same time, he demanded holding accountable those individuals who were involved in victimisation of the PMLN leaders.

Referring to the alleged leaked audio conversation of former chief justice Saqib Nisar, Nawaz said the ex-top judge could be heard saying that the PMLN leaders, including him, should remain behind bars to pave the way for the then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ahead of 2018 general election.

Nawaz said former spymaster Lt Gen Faiz told the then CJ of Islamabad High Court, Justice Shaukat Siddiqui, Nawaz Sharif’s release would spoil (his) two-year labour.

Without naming anyone, Nawaz also took a jibe at Imran Khan and termed the 190 million pounds NAB reference against the PTI leaders the “biggest scam” in the country’s history.

“They don’t know anything about morals and principles of state of Madinah… they just used it to promote their political agenda,” he said while referring to the PTI supremo’s slogan to make Pakistan a Madina-like welfare state. Nawaz said, “190-million-pound case is the biggest scandal and there are no doubts about it.”

He also raised various questions. “Who ruined the country? Who brought the country to this point today? Why are the poor starving today? […] All these things are eating up the country. There should be accountability,” he demanded.

The former premier said politicians should come forward with an objective to serve masses and everyone interested in politics must set his goal to develop the country.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Friday sharply reacted to PMLN Quaid Nawaz Sharif’s ‘absurd remarks’, saying that bringing back a convict under the state patronage and his pardoning by the courts could not prove him innocent in the eyes of the public. He is the criminal who looted the country and the nation for 40 years, a PTI spokesman, alleged and added that he was preparing to loot the national resources again by occupying power through another deal.

He said the meeting of the thieves of the Jati Umra, cowards and fugitives was a combination of jackals, lies, myths and accusations. “If you start naming the deeds of the residents of the house of a bad-mouthed, ignorant and filthy person, then this shameless person will not be able to see eye to eye with them,” he claimed.

The national criminal, who called himself a victim, the spokesman alleged, could not produce any receipt or document in the court in his defence till date, but the stories of loot of Nawaz Sharif and his family had been rife for decades, which could not be erased from the memory of the nation.

He claimed the economic survey released during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif’s brother acknowledged the best economic performance of 17 years was during the tenure of PTI.

Contrary to it, he noted, the 17-month incompetent government of Shehbaz Sharif caused irreparable damage to the country’s economy, which had been conceded by the leaders of his own party.

“A person who pollutes the country’s political process with his cheap and immoral style of politics should be ashamed of teaching morality. History is witness that the fake political life of Nawaz Sharif, who called himself a ‘successful person’ as a result of the third NRO, is a combination of humiliating ‘deals and guarantees’,” he alleged.

He charged the special relief and protocols received from the courts to impose Nawaz Sharif on the country are also causing an increase instead of reducing his frustration.

“The nation has completely rejected ‘Project Nawaz Sharif’ and will demonstrate it by burying the politics of PMLN on February 8, the day of polling,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) have decided on reaching seat adjustments in the upcoming elections.

PMLN leaders Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafiq arrived at Jahangir Khan Tareen’s house to discuss the seat adjustment. IPP senior leaders Ishaq Khan Khakwani, Aoun Chaudhry and Nauman Langriyal were also present. In the meeting, the IPP and PMLN discussed the seat adjustments and the future political situation.

Last night, PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif had proposed a seat adjustment with the IPP.

The IPP delegation, headed by patron-in-chief Jahangir Khan Tareen, called on Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday. The IPP’s top brass had decided to respond to the proposal after discussing the matter with the party’s central executive committee.

What will be the number of seats for adjustments would be decided later on, according to sources.