Pakistan Muslim League-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has renewed his demand to hold accountable those elements behind his ouster from power in 2017 and responsible for Pakistan’s “destruction”.
He said this while addressing the party’s parliamentary board meeting flanked by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other leaders in Lahore on Friday.
Speaking about the corruption cases registered against him and his family members, Nawaz said those who lodged “bogus cases” should be taken to task.
“Our party leaders were put behind bars in false cases and I am being delivered justice after a period of seven years,” the PML-N supremo said. He was referring to the graft cases registered against him and his family members following the infamous Panama Papers revelations. While he was prime minister of the country, the Supreme Court disqualified him for life for not declaring a receivable salary and also directed the National Accountability Bureau to file references against him.
Subsequently, the accountability courts sentenced him in Avenfield and Al-Aziza references in 2018. However, the IHC overturned his conviction in the Avenfield reference last month while his appeal in Al-Azizia reference is pending before the court.
Nawaz said they wanted to serve the nation but at the same time, he demanded to hold accountable those individuals involved in the alleged victimisation of the PML-N leaders.
Nawaz said he did not return to the country only to form a government but also wanted action against those involved in corruption and political victimisation.
Referring to the alleged leaked audio conversation of former chief justice Saqib Nisar, Nawaz said the ex-top judge could be heard saying that the PML-N leaders, including him, should remain behind bars to pave the way for the then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan ahead of 2018 general elections.
Without naming anyone, Nawaz also took a jibe at Imran Khan and termed the 190 million pounds NAB reference against the PTI leaders a “biggest scam” in the country’s history.
“They don’t know anything about morals and principles of state of Madinah..they just used this to promote their political agenda,” he said while referring to the PTI supremo’s slogan to make Pakistan a Madina-like welfare state.
“The nation should know that those who used to cry ‘thief’ are thieves themselves, the biggest thieves. […] This is our demand,” he said. “Who ruined the country? Who brought the country to this point today? Why are the poor starving today? […] All these things are eating up the country. There should be accountability.
“We are not sitting here to get into government, we want the well-being of the country and the 250 million people living here,” Nawaz asserted.
“Pakistan is going through a tough time today and we have created these difficulties ourselves. We punished the people who wanted to serve the country and brought forth those who were playing an evil game,” he claimed in an apparent reference to ex-premier Imran Khan.
The PML-N leader, without taking any names, said a person was brought to power who knew nothing about politics, economy or foreign policy. “He only talked about ‘Riyasat-i-Madina’ but didn’t know anything about ‘Riyasat-i-Madina’ in the true sense,” he said.
He further highlighted that the Supreme Court had recently ordered that an amount of Rs35 billion, which was remitted to the apex court’s bank accounts maintained in the name of the SC registrar in the Bahria Town settlement, be transferred to the federal government.
“This was a huge theft and corruption,” he said. “On the other hand, we were sent to jail for not taking salary from my son.” Talking about the cases against him, the PML-N supremo said he got justice after seven years and even today he was visiting courts. “There is a court certificate that declared these cases bogus. But who registered these cases? Will anyone ask them why they registered these cases?” he demanded.
Earlier, Nawaz told his party workers that politics was truly about serving the country and doing something for the people.
