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Thursday March 28, 2024

Nawaz’s campaign against SC judgement, darling continues

By Tariq Butt
January 07, 2018

ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif’s campaign theme revolves around four principal elements--his performance as prime minister, ‘referendum’ on the Supreme Court’s judgement that ousted him from power, restoration of justice and attack on the ‘darling’ of some institutions, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

This was what transpired once again during his address to an impressive public meeting at Kot Momin (Sargodha). He is poised to convert his campaign in the run-up to the forthcoming general election into a referendum against the July 28 verdict.

“This big gathering is a referendum against the judgement, and its participants reject it vehemently,” Nawaz Sharif said on raising of hands by the audience in the affirmative. “It is a big no.”

Since every judicial decision can be critically examined and scrutinised as per the established traditions and norms, he severely slammed the ruling against him. “This verdict made fun of Pakistan in the world and spawned chaos and anarchy,” Nawaz Sharif asserted.

He focused on the negative implications and ramifications of the judgement, which adversely impacted progress on mega development projects, dipping of stock exchange, fall of foreign exchange reserves, political stability and inflation.

The expelled prime minister appeared quite worked up while denouncing the verdicts against him and in favour of Imran Khan, finding them based on double standards. “We will not leave such rulings without being made accountable, and they have to answer about them. Accountability will have to be conducted.”

He is working hard to secure a massive vote in the upcoming election so that he could implement his aggressive agenda, which has mainly been unfolded in the post-disqualification interregnum, on the force of people’s support. He wants to reverse his court-sanctioned disqualification through people’s power, meaning to get it overturned only if he gets the required majority in parliament. “I have been disqualified by the court but have been qualified by the people,” he stressed.

While the first item of his plan is to expose the two apex court decisions, the second element is projection of his performance as the premier. He compares the gains he generated for Pakistan with the dismal conditions prevailing in 2013 when he became the prime minister. In this connection, he alludes to overcoming the power shortage, gigantic development projects, including motorways and highways, tackling terrorism, restoring investors’ confidence, improvising the situation in Balochistan, rectifying economic ills etc. He feels that he has a lot to show to the people to attract their votes and is banking a lot on his accomplishments.

On the contrary, the campaign of Nawaz Sharif archrivals is concentrated on scoffing at him, accusing him of corruption. Their main reliance is on hurling allegations, but they are yet to refer to their performance in any field. At times, Imran Khan boasts of improvements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in various spheres, but his thrust always remains on subjecting the ex-premier to corruption charges. Asif Ali Zardari hardly talks about what his government has achieved in Sindh, but mostly harangues Nawaz Sharif on his slogans and statements.

Yet another issue to which former prime minister has paid his whole-hearted attention is painting Imran Khan as darling of an apex court bench that exonerated him of the charge of concealing his offshore company and London flat--a status that earned the PTI chairman the acquittal. “The judiciary’s ‘ladlas’ will find no place to hide their faces in the next election.”

The former premier is selling to the people his argument that a set of judges led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar did not accept as valid that Imran Khan did not declare his offshore company and London apartment despite admitting them, but he (Nawaz Sharif) was ousted although no corruption charge was found true against him. This will repeatedly crop up in his campaign trail. In his uncompromising movement, Nawaz Sharif is being fully assisted by his daughter, Maryam, is fully assisting him and equally bluntly takes on the “darling” and the judgements. At the PML-N public meetings, there are now only two main speakers-- Nawaz Sharif and Maryam. This leaves no doubt about the top hierarchy of leadership in the party.

“At one time, the ladla relies on the finger of the umpire; at another hides himself behind institutions and yet at another time seeks support of other conspirators,” she said.