Nawaz asks Imran : Name who ordered voting for Zardari

LONDON: The former prime minister and Quaid of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Mian Nawaz Sharif, challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to explain who ordered him to vote for Asif Ali Zardari’s candidate in the recent Senate election and what were his motivations behind voting for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) election symbol - arrow.

Speaking to media here after meeting Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister Ishaq Dar at Hasan Nawaz Sharif’s office, Nawaz Sharif referred to Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Sirajul Haq’s statement in which he said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak told him the PTI was “ordered from the top” to vote for Sadiq Sanjrani and PPP’s Saleem Mandviwalla in the election of Senate chairman and deputy chairman.

Nawaz Sharif said by voting for the PPP, Imran Khan proved he and other political parties are always “looking for the umpire’s finger” and “orders from the top” while the PML-N is the only party that takes dictation from the people of Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif said the way the Balochistan Assembly was rigged and his party taken over and then the manner the Senate election was held, the credibility of the Senate chairman and the deputy chairman stands discredited, particularly after confessions by the PTI of horse-trading. He challenged Imran Khan to tell the nation that who ordered him to vote for Zardari.

Nawaz Sharif said he’s being targeted and put under immense pressure through false cases, but he’s not the one who will stay out of Pakistan and will not leave Pakistan as there is difference between him and Pervez Musharraf. He argued the current situation is definitely a “difficult time” for him and he can’t tell why it’s difficult and what are the reasons. “I will perhaps not speak about that but I will face the situation,” he said. Nawaz said he appears before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court five times a week despite the fact that he has committed no corruption, while others involved in NAB probes get to have their hearings once in three months or so. “Tell me what kind of case is this against me which was ordered by the Supreme Court? Is there any precedent of such a case by the NAB? Is there any such example in the history of Pakistan?,” asked Nawaz Sharif, adding all the NAB’s cases are related to commissions, misuse of public money, kickbacks on contracts, misuse of public office and financial corruption, but the case against him has no such allegation. Nawaz said all these cases are politically motivated and “all these efforts are being made ahead of next elections to deny the PML-N a level playing field.

The PML Quaid said he is facing unprecedented censorship in media and his speeches and contents have been banned. He termed it as “pre-poll rigging” and said he is hopeful the nation will stop it with full force through the use of vote. He asked the people to “use the next elections as a referendum and put as many votes as possible to give victory to the PML-N because the PML-N deserves it”. He said such situation of censorship wasn’t witnessed even during martial law. “This must worry the whole nation,” he said. Nawaz said he discussed the name of next caretaker prime minister with Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and “it’s important that the caretaker PM follows rules and regulations and shouldn’t take unnecessary pressure”.

Separately, Prime Minister Abbasi and Nawaz Sharif agreed that the PML-N will contest the next elections rigorously on the agenda of progress and “Vote Ko Izzat Do” slogan.

Prime Minister Abbasi said the PML-N will win the elections and had a strategy in place for that. Earlier, Hussain Nawaz Sharif regretted that the NAB court has turned down request of his father for one week’s exemption from personal appearance. He said if this decision was meant to give any message then such signalling will yield no desired results. He said Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of “Vote Ko Izzat Do” stands vindicated in the backdrop of many recent actions that have been taken and popularity of the slogan has gone up.