Khwaja Saad, Salman released, demand abolition of NAB

LAHORE: Veteran politician and central leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Khwaja Saad Rafiq has demanded abolition of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) immediately to put the country back on development track.

“NAB and Pakistan cannot go together,” he said while talking to the media on Thursday after getting released from Camp Jail Lahore where he was incarcerated, along with his brother, Khwaja Salman Rafiq, in a NAB case pertaining to Paragon Housing Society scam. Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and other party leaders were also present.

“We have suffered 16-month imprisonment in a dark, constricted cell, as the rulers had lodged us there in their pursuit of political victimisation. “Nothing was proved against us during that long period of imprisonment,” added the former federal minister. “Despite severe victimisation, our spirits are high as ever and we are still standing with Nawaz Sharif like before,” Saad said.

Saad reminded that the country was dismembered in the past when a minority was imposed on the majority. He regretted that the country was being ruled by incompetent and self-centred people currently. He said his companions and noted politicians were tortured, but declared that “we have no desire to take revenge for our political victimisation, as Pakistan cannot afford such victimisation anymore.” He said it was up to those people who conspired against their political opponents whether to tell the nation if the country had progressed or regressed during their government. “They must tell [the nation] if people of Pakistan have suffered due to their conspiracies or not. National security was compromised and exposed to dangers as a result of stealing of elections,” the PML-N leader said.

He said levelling of baseless accusation against political opponents and using state force against them would not work any more. He advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to learn bearing with his opponents. He criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government overarrest of Jang Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. “What was the fault of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman,” asked the PML-N leader adding that his only fault was that his media group criticised all incompetent rulers. He told the premier that an independent media was not his enemy.

He reiterated that the PTI government was not elected. “I contested polls against Imran Khan. I won the polls, but the vote recount was not allowed with the connivance of Justice Saqib Nisar. The nation suffered due to his illegal actions, though he is history now,” he added. Saad said he wished his party could have changed the black NAB law, adding that there was no political prisoner during the past regimes of PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He said political victimisation began with the inception of the PTI government, and political leaders were still languishing in jails. “NAB will have to be closed down to let the country progress. Pakistan cannot go together with NAB. A black law designed by a military dictator is still imposed in the so-called democratic regime. It has always been used to crush political opponents,” he added.

He said NAB had always been used to suppress fundamental rights of political opponents. He noted that Rana Sanaullah, Shahbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Hanif Abbasi, Ahad Cheema, Khursheed Shah, Sharjeel Memon, etc., were jailed without establishing charges against them. Ahad Cheema, who worked to develop the city, was still being humiliated in jail, instead of given respect. He noted that honourable judges of Supreme Court had been saying that NAB lacked sincerity and was used against the opponents. He said “we don’t want the PTI to suffer what the PML-N and PPP leaderships had undergone. “We were accused of being terrorists and traitors. Whenever masses will be given a chance, they will stand with us.

The struggle for supremacy of Constitution and democracy will succeed at the end. We will not victimise anyone and level baseless allegations,” he added.

Saad said he had only challenged political opponents, and not any institution, when he stated that the PML-N leaders would prove to be ‘lohay ke chanay’ (iron pellets). He said as to “who gave Justice Saqib Nisar the right to humiliate political leaders, and make the nation damn fool in the name of a dam. Movement for judiciary’s supremacy was launched by the PML-N and it will reach its logical end.”

He said Imran Khan had no desire to save the country from coronavirus, as his intentions were not sincere. “Had Imran been sincere, he should have called all opposition parties and asked them to work collectively to protect masses from the virus,” the PML-N leader added.

Former railways minister regretted that various train accidents had been taking place. “The way of stealing votes in Pakistan must be blocked; otherwise, the nation would continue to suffer and progress will remain a dream,” he added.

Saad Rafiq said the rulers had pushed the country to such a disastrous situation that it would take a long time to put the country back on track. He said the PTI leaders could put their names on the PML-N development schemes, but at least they should complete them on time. He expressed confidence that the democracy taken hostage in Pakistan would be liberated soon, and the supporters of the liar prime minister would have to repent. Khwaja Salman Rafiq said his party did not want to do politics on coronavirus, adding that if Taftan border was sealed off timely, situation would have been much different in the country today. He recalled that the PML-N government had eliminated polio in Punjab and federal capital areas, besides controlling the dengue virus. But when dengue resurfaced last year, he felt sorrow over the nullification of Shahbaz government’s efforts.

Earlier, when Khwaja brothers were released from camp jail, a large number of party workers, led by Pervaiz Rasheed, Imran Nazir and others welcomed them and took them away in the form of a rally, chanting slogans and showering flower petals on them.