Will pester till corruption proven: Nawaz

KOT MOMIN: Kick-starting his movement for justice (Adal), former prime minister and President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Saturday asked the people to give him mandate in the next general election for restoration of justice in the country.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering here, he said the Supreme Court verdict handed down against him had created chaos and disruption to the detriment of the country.

“People have yet another time given their decision against the disputed verdict today,” he said.

The charged crowd kept chanting slogans all through the address. Without naming the PTI chief Imran Khan, Nawaz charged that the fellow was corrupt to the hilt and will find no place to hide his face as soon the results of next general elections were made public.

Nawaz was in a belligerent disposition and lambasted the apex court verdict.

“This huge crowd is a referendum against the court judgment,” he thundered.

“I will not let you get it off the hook unless you prove if I had committed corruption,” he said in a voice heavy with emotions.Nawaz said the five-judge bench that disqualified him could not give a verdict against the ‘ladla (endeared)’ though he (Khan) had accepted that he owned an offshore company.

Playing with words, he said: “Our respected bench says ‘no, Niazi no’, this is not your money. They say the [offshore company] money belongs to some other Imran.”

Taking a dig at both Imran and the top court, Nawaz said although the ‘ladla’ had admitted owing an offshore company worth millions of pounds, the Supreme Court could not dare give a verdict against him.

“You [Imran] blame everyone for corruption, but in fact you are the most corrupt person. Everyone knows you invested the charity money for your hospital in gambling,” he said.

Nawaz said despite lack of evidence he was disqualified on the pretext of Iqama whereas Imran was spared.

“We don’t accept such double standards. The people today have rejected the SC verdict. The verdict has brought shame to Pakistan in the world. Now conspirators are surfacing yet again,” he said.

Nawaz recalled that there was no electricity in Kot Momin when he took the helm in 2013.

“We did what many could not do in 20 years,” he said, adding, “Within four years of my party rule I managed to end load shedding.”

He said if the process of progress had slowed down now, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was not to be blamed rather the verdict should be blamed for the slowdown.

Nawaz said the court decision had led to inflation, depreciation of Pakistani currency, and spike in violence, inflation and unemployment.

He said inflation had once again resurfaced which was nowhere to be seen during his government.

The former prime minister assured the people that he would establish justice in the country, as he had managed to restore judiciary by risking his life.

Maryam Nawaz, who came in a public gathering for the first time with her father, maintained that (Khan’s) trustworthiness and truthfulness was a ‘fixed-match’ who appeared ashamed while the ‘disqualified’ one was being honoured.

She said Hudaibya case was made the basis of Panama trial and the judgment in the case had demolished the Panama verdict which was a joke.

“Iqama means a visa, and by giving such a verdict, ‘they’ made a joke out of this country. Critics couldn’t find anything against Nawaz Sharif, so they brought up Iqama,” Maryam Nawaz said.

“Three generations of Sharif family were held accountable in the Panama case but they failed to bring Musharraf back for derailing democracy,” she said.

Speaking in a mature manner, she said the PML-N had managed to stand strong against all odds.

“We have governed the country with great difficulty despite protests, sit-ins and lockdowns for four years,” she said.

State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha also addressed the public meeting.