No revenge but games with country won’t stop if accountability not held: Nawaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim league Nawaz (PMLN) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday he did not want revenge from anyone for what had happened to him but it was necessary to bring to account the culprits. The games with the country would not stop if no one was held accountable, he said.

Addressing the party leaders and participants in the 8th meeting of PMLN parliamentary board here, Nawaz said he never conspired against General [Qamar Javed] Bajwa, General Faiz [Hameed] or General Raheel [Sharif], but those who were involved in the conspiracy should be brought to light. He said Pakistan was punished by removing him and bringing in an incompetent person.

Nawaz said, “I thank Allah for my acquittal in fake cases as there was no truth in those cases. Their hollowness was proven in the high court.”

Recalling his conviction, he said: “When they [judges] found nothing in Panama, they removed me on Iqama. They wanted to punish me; they wanted to remove me from the chair but they failed to convict me in Panama case.”

The former PM said judges gave remarks like Sicilian mafia and godfather [of mafias] and questioned that calling someone Sicilian mafia suited the judges. He added that at that time “we requested that we were coming back to Pakistan, so the judgment should be held and announced in our presence, but they announced the judgment”.

Nawaz said then we decided to come back to the country and face cases. “Such a verdict was pronounced against me that became a laughing stock in the world,” he added.

Nawaz said leave aside what happened to him but, according to him, in his punishment, Pakistan was punished. The punishment to him and his family was actually punishment to all the people of the country.

Nawaz Sharif conducted interviews of PMLN ticket aspirants for National and Provincial Assembly tickets from the Sahiwal division.

Later, PMLN leader Javed Latif told the media acquittal of Nawaz Sharif was being celebrated across the country.

Taunting former premier and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Javed Latif said a 74-year-old Rangela Baba, while sitting in the jail, was saying that he was not getting level playing field and was terming Nawaz Sharif a Ladla.