Staff Reporter Islamabad
The PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz, on Wednesday once again called upon retired Supreme Court judge Azmat Saeed Sheikh to recuse himself from the inquiry into the Broadsheet scandal, warning that her party would otherwise reveal details about his past affiliations.
She was addressing the media after arriving at ‘Khokhar Palace’ to express solidarity with the Khokhar family following the demolition of their property.
“Broadsheet is a fraudsheet,” she said, adding that the case was not a new tactic of the government to trap the PML-N but “an old net with very big holes”. She reiterated the questions raised by her party recently about Justice Sheikh’s past affiliations with the National Accountability Bureau, Broadsheet and the PTI.
“[Justice Azmat Saeed should excuse himself from this [investigation] and admit that he was himself involved in it (Broadsheet case),” she added.
If he does not recuse, Maryam said, the PML-N “would have to bring to light facts which we could not previously”.
She alleged that Justice Sheikh had “personally called and tried to threaten officers of the PML-N government at the time” and sent certain “messages”. “It is [therefore] better for you to excuse yourself,” Maryam told the former judge. Speaking about the demolition of properties belonging to the family of PML-N leaders MNA Afzal Khokhar and former MPA Saiful Malook Khokhar in Lahore, Maryam alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself monitored and overseen the operation.
“I have come to know that this person whose name is Imran Khan, personally sat down and was monitoring the operation,” Maryam alleged, saying this measure had come after attempts to pressurise the Khokhar brothers and holders of political office in the PML-N.
“They were pressurised; in every party demonstration they were told to differ from the position of the party leadership or leave the party and cease participation in activities,” the PML-N leader said, adding that they were also “threatened”.
