LONDON - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N) Vice President
Maryam Nawaz Tuesday alleged that Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
Chairman Imran Khan was criticising the military establishment to get favour again.
Addressing a press conference in London, Maryam Nawaz
said that every political party
in Pakistan had criticised the
establishment at one point or
another, based on “democratic principles or issues for some
correction or to provide realisation about a mistake”.
She said that such critiques
had a different purpose which
was clear to the nation. However, referring to Imran’s growing
criticism of the establishment
since his ouster, she said: “His
criticism of the establishment is
not due to vision or democratic
or personal principle,” she said,
but only so he could regain their
favour. Maryam called out the
manner of Imran’s criticism as
well, saying that there must be
a “standard of criticism”. “[Soldiers] are the defenders of the
country, not defenders of Bani
Gala or Imran Khan’s government or your loot.”
She castigated Imran for
“grabbing the collars of those in
the day whom he beseeches in
the darkness of night”, adding
that he had stayed silent about
the meeting with the army chief
in the presidency while “giving
sermons about animals and Mir
Jafar and Mir Sadiq” to his supporters until the Inter-Services
Intelligence chief had to come
and reveal the “truth”.
“He doesn’t have answers
about the truth. The nation is
waiting that some answer will
come for the serious allegations
and facts against him but he has
no answer. All [his] focus is on
cursing [opponents].”
Maryam claimed that the people had seen the reality of Imran’s lies, which explained the
low turnout in the PTI’s march
to Islamabad.
She said the long march was
the PTI’s last resort after its attempt to build pressure through
public rallies and secure early
elections failed, alleging that the
actual purpose for the pressure
campaign was the matter of the
next army chief’s appointment
this month.
To a question, Maryam said:
“There is no institution behind this long march, [however], there could be one or two
individuals behind it,” adding
that “some people” — whose
list of crimes and sins was so
long — had made the PTI chief
their last hope and were still
teaching him. Maryam further
alleged that Imran was still
searching for people in the establishment who could continue to support him and the nation was aware of this.
Referring to Imran’s claim that
the establishment had informed
him about cases against his political opponents, Maryam said
that “there is no bigger proof of
[PML-N supremo] Nawaz Sharif’s innocence than this.”
She also referred to the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) detailed verdict on her appeals
against her conviction in the Avenfield reference which virtually cleared Nawaz Sharif in the
reference by observing that the
accountability court order convicting him, Maryam and sonin-law retired Capt Mohammad
Safdar was “not correct”.
Maryam said that “no case is
left” after the IHC observation
and the PML-N would soon legally take up the matter and
Nawaz would be back among
the people.
Regarding the Toshakhana
reference, Maryam alleged that
another “major scandal” related
to the issue was coming soon.
She alleged that British multinational jeweller Graff had gifted a diamond set that Imran had
paid “Rs20 million for and sold
in Dubai for Rs220m”.
Maryam also said that the PTI
long march not arranged for the
sake of the nation but its purpose is to stop the incumbent
government from appointing
the next army chief.
Speaking during a press conference in London, the PML-N
vice president said that “Khan
should know that the appointment of the army chief is rightfully, constitutionally, and legally the right of Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif. And God willing, the process will be carried
out amicably in a good environment.” PM Shehbaz has said
that Khan contacted the government last month for discussing two matters — one of them
being the appointment of the
army chief. However, the premier refused to discuss it with
him, she said.
The PML-N leader said the
“part-time” long march ends
within two hours after it starts,
and it is stuck in Lahore despite
the passage of five days. “And
now, we are hearing reports
that it will take eight to ten
more days to reach Islamabad.”
Maryam said at this pace —
when Khan leaves for the march
after breakfast and leaves for
Lahore for tea in the evening —
his caravan would not reach Islamabad even after a month.
“These were such serious lies
that DG ISI [Director-General of
Inter-Services Intelligence Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed
Anjum] had to come out and address a press conference.”
Maryam said since it was the
DG ISI who even avoids taking
photos, the nation should understand the seriousness of the
situation.
She also sent condolences to
the family of deceased journalist Sadaf Naeem — who was
crushed to death in the line of
duty while climbing down PTI
Chairman Imran Khan’s container during the march — and
said that the incident forced her
to think about the purpose of
PTI’s long march.
She said that the way the PTIled government trampled upon
the economy of the country,
which led to skyrocketing inflation, Khan should not even be
able to utter a word anymore.
“Yet, he has taken out a rally
on the streets of Pakistan,” she
said. Criticising the march further, Maryam said that personnel of the Punjab Police employed to provide security to
Khan greatly outnumbered the
participants of the march.
“Millions of taxpayers’ money
is being spent to provide security to a march which is aimless
and holds no national agenda,”
she said, adding that it certainly needs a criminal-minded person to spend the public’s money so lavishly without having
an iota of remorse. She further
said that the narrative of a conspiracy that Khan built following his ouster has been exposed.
“One after the other, his lies
started unfolding before the
nation which is why the masses are largely indifferent to this
long march,” she said.
The PML-N vice president
added that this long march was
the PTI’s last plan. “Prior to that,
they continued building the narrative of a foreign conspiracy to
mount pressure on the government and spewed many lies.
Maryam added that since
Khan failed to dissolve the incumbent government and
couldn’t ask for a date for the
election, he resorted to this aimless long march.
The PML-N vice president further censured Khan for bragging
about winning the by-elections
and said that “he wins from constituencies which he himself vacates and then sings his own
praise of winning the elections.”
She dared Khan and said that he
should wait for his biggest opponent — PML-N supremo Nawaz
Sharif — who has “not yet been
given a level-playing field”.
“Khan’s actual level will be
exposed on the day Nawaz
will get a chance to step onto
the electoral field,” she maintained, adding that the PML-N
supremo will “Insha Allah return after ridding himself of
all the baseless allegations
Khan levelled against him.”
“And that day is not far away,
because [when my case was
being heard in the court] the
judges clearly said that none of
the allegations against Nawaz
Sharif has been proven on the
basis of which Maryam was
convicted.”