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Friday March 29, 2024

Nawaz gives telling messages to detractors

By Our Correspondent
November 20, 2017

ISLAMABAD: No to minus-Nawaz Sharif formula; no fear of jail or death; no to capitulation; no to judicial verdict; no to Panama drama; no to defeat and surrender; why no questions or complaints to robbers; and why no trial of dictators were the telling messages that the ousted prime minister conveyed to his detractors and tormentors in his usual aggressive tone in Abbottabad. This was his first major public rally after his famous GT Road march in a cavalcade in August that lasted four days immediately after his Supreme Court-imposed disqualification. The Hazara region has traditionally proved to be a stronghold of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in successive elections, writes Tariq Butt.


It was evident from his belligerent address that he has a lot of information but is withholding it for his own reasons to divulge it at time of his choosing. This was specifically relevant when he said: “One day, the whole story of the ‘rare diamonds’ [assembled in the Panama Joint Investigation Team or JIT] will be exposed.”


The former prime minister did not allude to any premier state institution except the judges forming part of the Panama bench, while talking about the treatment extended to him in their verdict. But he did warn that a day will come when each and every thing will be made accountable. “People are no more deaf and dumb and are no longer silent.”


His focus and thrust was on the judicial ruling, taunting judges for bowing to dictators by taking oath of allegiance to them through the PCOs (provisional constitutional orders). He asked the justices why not even questions were put to the dictators, why no complaint was even lodged against the usurpers, why the unconstitutional rulers were not put in the dock; and why the robbers were not even asked questions.


Nawaz Sharif harped on his oft-repeated stand that corruption of not even a single penny was detected against him during prolonged investigations and when they failed to get anything incriminating, they threw him out of power on the pretext of “Iqama” for not getting the salary from his son’s Dubai-based company.


He was particularly critical of the stringent judgment on his review petition. Rejecting that verdict, he said he has now filed his review plea in the people’s court and asked the participants about their decision. The audience shouted in his favour. “The real court is 200 million people of Pakistan.”


Before that, he presented his performance chart before the audience – building of highways and motorways, ending electricity shortage, unprecedented development and progress of Pakistan and getting rid of terrorism – comparing it to the sorry situation that prevailed in 2013 when he became the prime minister. He stated that he has fulfilled all the promises he had made in the 2013 elections. Then, he declared that he would come here again in the 2018 campaign to make more pledges. “Pakistan was progressing but has been destabilized.”


The former prime minister also attacked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and asked him to be ashamed of his habit of abusing and slurring everyone day in and day out shamefacedly. He did not consume much time in talking about his archrival.


“There are no one billion trees in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa that Imran Khan had vowed to plant, but certainly corruption of billions of rupees was committed in this project. People will take out each and every penny of corruption money from you,” Nawaz Sharif stated. “The PTI chief had announced that he would end corruption in ninety days, but conversely increased it manifold.”


His condemnation of Imran Khan was far less in intensity than what the PTI chairman tirelessly does every day. Imran Khan’s remarkable quality is that he has developed a unique practice to repeat his unsubstantiated allegations against his targets for umpteen times to the extent that some people start believing him. But the downside is the negative effect of too much publicity that loses efficacy and relevance of what he claims and alleges.


The defiance that Nawaz Sharif demonstrated clearly showed that his disqualification followed by his and his children’s dragging in court cases has not bullied him as he seemed poised to fight back with full political force. His tone and tenor was the same that was witnessed during his GT Road travel. He continues to rely on his popularity to turn the tables on his adversaries.


Those who advise or expect that the ex-premier should tone down have a naïve, apolitical approach. It is stupid to hope a soft line from the most popular leader when he has been expelled from the top office on a minor ground, which has not impressed even a large number of members of the legal community.


When Nawaz Sharif has no doubt and he has expressed it publicly, that he will be sentenced, he has shared his reaction declaring that he is not scared of going to jail. When he knows what is in store for him, there is no point in just sitting silent. If he keeps mum, the perpetrators will be further encouraged. He doesn’t want them to have a smooth sailing in their mission to sideline him. Nawaz Sharif is the name of an ideology that will not die, he stated.