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Thursday March 28, 2024

Why Nawaz decided to come back

By Murtaza Ali Shah
September 25, 2017

LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been advised by each and every key aide against cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) proceedings in the references filed against him, his children and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, but he has decided to return to Pakistan to appear before the NAB court.

Nawaz, however, is of the view that he faces no allegation of corruption. He had started many development projects and there was no charge of corruption against him in any of the projects. He says he is innocent and all his dealings are transparent, so why he should not go back to his country. He says he was not provided with a fair investigation and trial. Although he and members of his family could hide what they own, they did not do this. Rather far before PanamaLeaks members of his family have revealed the distribution of the assets of his father, who was a businessman, and ownership of apartments in London.

The former premier, who was in London for the cancer treatment of his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, was advised by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others that he should come to Pakistan after the treatment of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.

Ahead of making his decision to return to Pakistan on Sunday, which took Pakistani media and political classes by storm, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif held two rounds of talks in which the return strategy was discussed. It is understood that both Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif agreed that the advice of lawyers should be listened to and that Nawaz should appear before the NAB and “seek exemption.” It is also understood that the Sharif family has decided the children of the former premier will stay away from the proceedings.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said Saturday that Nawaz Sharif has always cooperated with the courts and he was going to Pakistan in the same spirit. Credible sources have told The News that Nawaz Sharif has been advised by his colleagues — including all key ministers — that appearing before the NAB courts will only give legitimacy to the “revenge campaign in the name of accountability.” That’s the same view he expressed ahead of leaving his house for Pakistan – he said he doesn’t hope to get justice as what has happened in Supreme Court to him wasn’t accountability but political revenge.

Sources told The News that Zahid Hamid briefed the PM about the legal procedures involved and the various scenarios. He too was of the view that there is no hope the former PM will get a “fair trial.” Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has told the PM that he doesn’t need to “rush, and come to Pakistan when he pleases as there is no urgency.”

The credible source said Zahid Hamid explained legal point of view “which is his responsibility as a professional lawmaker but he is at the same time aware and has seen the fraud unfolding in the name of accountability and biased disqualification of Nawaz Sharif on political grounds, in violation of Pakistan’s own tax and electoral laws.”

PM Abbasi told Nawaz Sharif in his first meeting with Nawaz Sharif last week, before leaving for America to take part in the UN session, that the whole party will stand united behind him for any decision he takes about the NAB and other matters.

The source said that in the same meeting a member stressed that NAB was “under extreme pressure to run the cases against Sharifs to execute revenge.” The PM told Nawaz Sharif, said the source, that his supporters were of the view, widely, and so is the view of a large section of Pakistani public, that Nawaz Sharif has been wronged and did not get a fair trial at the Supreme Court.

Same views have been expressed to Nawaz Sharif by Khawaja Asif and other ministers and senior PML-N leaders who have been speaking to Nawaz Sharif over phone from Pakistan.

“Nawaz Sharif has not expressed his views on whether he will cooperate with the NAB trial or not, he has been only sounding out his aides and ministers, he will make the final decision and will announce it too, but he has made no secret that he doesn’t expect fair trial from the courts because of the way the SC has appointed a monitoring judge and deadline set to end the whole matter,” briefed the source.

He said that Nawaz Sharif has been advised by his colleagues that it itself is the “perversion of justice that a superior court judge monitors junior judges and gives direction”. The source said Nawaz Sharif was advised by several aides during the Panama papers case that “the whole case has been engineered and brought to the SC to get him ousted from the office in the guise of accountability and the PM went along with the belief that he will get clean chit from the court because his hands are clean, and then he was thrown out on the basis of Iqama just because the court found nothing in Panama case, no corruption.”

He said Nawaz Sharif now accepts that that he made a mistake by giving legitimacy to a shambolic political plot against him “and that experience will be guiding factor for Nawaz Sharif whether or not to cooperate with the NAB courts.”

The source said Nawaz Sharif has received overwhelming support from within the party and “even from many people in other parties who have made contact with him and told him that he has not been given justice in the Supreme Court and that while there should have been accountability, there should be no place for throwing out politicians in the name of accountability to engineer politics.”

The source said that Nawaz Sharif is aware that the NAB courts will only be a rubber stamp on “the script that has been handed over to them and there is no doubt left in anyone’s mind what that script is all about, enforcing further revenge on Nawaz Sharif and his family in the name of fair trial.”

The National Accountability Bureau has issued notification, barring former prime minister from selling his movable and immovable properties. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who arrived here last week to be with her parents, has publicly advised her father not to appear before the NAB courts. 

Nawaz Sharif "should not be a part of political and personal victimisation in the garb of accountability" nor should e appear before accountability courts, his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, she said in a tweet 

The source revealed that attempts are under way to discredit Sharif family, and “judicial cover” is being used to get this objective “for which there is overwhelming opposition in rank and file of PMLN.”

Maryam Nawaz also said Saturday that Nawaz Sharif was going to Pakistan despite knowing that he will not get fair hearing in the current circumstances.   “Knowing what he faces is NOT accountability, the man decides to return. It’s not about his person anymore, it is the battle of 200 million,” she said in a tweet.