Imran facing hardships of his own making: Maryam

SARGODHA: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday launched a fresh tirade against incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, saying that the difficulties being faced by the former prime minister were the result of “his own doings”.

“How can a person who uses youth as political fuel fall asleep,” the provincial chief executive said while addressing the Honhaar Scholarship Programme ceremony in Sargodha.

Urging the students not to go against the country “under any circumstances”, she said that someone “who asks you to siege and arson is not your friend”.

“His [Imran] own children were sitting outside [and] he is asking others to vandalise and spread anarchy,” Maryam said, referring to the events of May 9, 2023 and the “final call protest” on November 26.

Khan, who remains behind the bars in Adiala jail, and several others are facing various allegations in the cases related to the violence following his arrest on May 9. The vandalism was followed by the PTI founder’s arrest on the aforementioned date in 2023 during which party workers protested, taking to the streets across the country and damaging public and private property, including military installations.

The riots also led to the deaths of at least eight people and injured several others, prompting the authorities to arrest thousands of PTI workers and followers.

During the event today, the Punjab CM regretted that those children, who were misled by the PTI founder’s statements, were in jail. “All these events were result of an individual’s greed for power,” she added.

Referring to the military court sentence for Hassan Niazi, Maryam regretted that the nephew of the PTI founder “mocked the military’s uniform and brought shame to the country”. “He [Niazi] was jailed for ten years... his future has been destroyed,” she added.

Last month, the military courts sentenced 60 more “culprits”, including Hassan Niazi, for their involvement in the May 9 riots, taking the total number of convicts to 85.

The world community, including the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) had expressed concerns over the sentencing of civilians by the military courts, maintaining that the convictions were against the international law.

Calling out the ousted premier for facing “karma”, Maryam said that she was arrested during the PTI’s tenure in front of her father, Nawaz Sharif. “I was in Adiala Jail, when I received news about my mother’s death.”

Noting that paths for country’s development were opening up, she said that she would not be able to launch scholarship programme if her priority was to “turn off someone’s air conditioner or heater”.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz distributed cheques under the Honahar Scholarship Programme to 1,588 students at the University of Sargodha on Wednesday.

The scholarships, totalling Rs70 million, were awarded to students from universities and medical colleges in Sargodha, Bhakkar, and Mianwali.

Earlier, the chief minister had distributed merit-based scholarship cheques worth Rs440 million to 7,700 students in Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan.

During her visit to the under-construction Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz set ambitious targets for the hospital. The OPD is scheduled to open by June 30, while the entire project is to be completed by December 31.

The chief minister reviewed the progress and inspected various sections of the facility. She was briefed that the institute will have approximately 200 beds and is being constructed at a cost of Rs8.846 billion. She emphasised the importance of completing the project on time.

As she departed, a crowd of enthusiastic youth gathered near her vehicle. The citizens showered her vehicle with flower petals and raised slogans in her honour. The chief minister responded warmly by waving to the crowd.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed anger over the violation of the kite-flying ban in the province after a health worker, Sabir Masih, was injured by a kite string. She directed the IGP to submit a report on the incident and instructed the authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured worker. She also expressed profound grief over the death of four people in a traffic accident near Kasur. She extended her heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and offered her sincere condolences. The chief minister also conveyed her sorrow over the death of two students in a passenger bus accident near Jhang-Sargodha Road.

She expressed her condolences to the families of the deceased and directed the authorities to ensure proper medical treatment for the injured.