LAHORE - Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill said on Saturday that convicted Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif did not pose any threat to the government through his virtual speeches to the party leadership from London.

“However, Nawaz Sharif has become more of a security threat as his diatribe against the national institutions may have consequences for security of the country,” he said in a press conference at PID Regional Office, here on Saturday.

The SAPM said that Nawaz Sharif targeted the national institutions with mala fide intentions and compromised sensitive information during the past week, adding that he should appear before the courts for his corruption.

“I am not calling Nawaz a traitor, but he is a greedy businessman, who always becomes a RAW [Indian secret agency Research and Analysis Wing] agent for monetary gains”, Gill said. 

Nawaz Sharif, in his recent virtual speeches, furthering the Indian propaganda against Pakistan to destabilise the country, and who doesn’t know what India was doing on our internal and external borders,” the SAPM added.  

He said the Indian defence strategists wanted to weaken Pakistan. “Surf the Internet and go through the Indian propaganda against Pakistan on the social media during the past five years, and you will find out a stark resemblance in Nawaz Sharifs statements,” he added.

Claims PML-N Quaid has become a security threat

Shahbaz Gill dared Nawaz Sharif to target the political government of Prime Minister Imran Khan instead of resorting to mud-slinging against the military, adding that the PML-N supremo had been maligning the military for political gains.

Shahbaz Gill said the politicians should not blame the military for their mistakes if hey had failed to deliver, adding that the military did not interfere in the political working of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Gill said Nawaz Sharif wanted to avoid accountability of corruption 

committed by him and his toadies, adding that he was convicted 

by the courts while his brother Shehbaz Sharif had guaranteed Nawaz Sharif’s return within four weeks.

Before blaming the military for his vested interests, Gill said, Nawaz Sharif should answer a few questions about his so-close relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendar Modi and other Indian businessmen, who were declared enemies of the country. “Nawaz Sharif had refused to meet Hurriyat Conference Kashmiri leaders during his Indian visit,” he said.

“Who does not know the real face of India and Modi as Narendra Modi confessed to Indian role in separation of East Pakistan during his Bangladesh visit while he slaughtered Muslims as Chief Minister of the Indian Gujarat. But Nawaz Sharif and his family received Modi at their Jati Umra palace.”

Showing Maryam Nawaz picture with Indian steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal in Murree to the media, he said how would the PML-N leadership justify their close relationship with Narendra Modi and others, who have been guilty of manslaughter of Indian and Kashmiri Muslims. He said Nawaz Sharif donned the red turban, a gift from Narendra Modi and released pictures in order to show his love for Narendra Modi.

He said PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif held a clandestine meeting with Narendra Modi in Kathmandu (Nepal), adding that he would have to be answerable for his meetings with Sajjan Jindal and the other Indians.

Warning Nawaz Sharif against anti-Pakistan rhetoric from London, Gill said the PML-N leader should not follow in the footsteps of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain, adding that the government was well aware of Nawaz Sharif’s meetings inside embassy of a country in London. 

About Nawaz Sharif’s allegations against Asim Saleem Bajwa, he said the government was satisfied with Bajwa and if somebody had any reservations, he might go to the court. He said Sharif nurtured bad-blood against Bajwa as he arrested Kulbhushan Jadhav, adding that Nawaz must respond why he forbade the then Pakistan ambassador to India to issue any statements against India and the then Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed did not want to hold a press conference on Kalbhushan’s arrest.

Responding to media men, he said the government had nothing to do with Nawaz’s intentions whether he wanted to become Altaf Hussain or not, adding that the PML-N leader looted the public money and he must account for it.

Gill said that Nawaz Sharif was a habitual imposter, who would start speaking against the institutions whenever he was caught for corruption.

To a question about opposition protests, Gill said the opposition would be given a free hand as long as it maintains law and order and did not damage the public property. 

To another query, the SAPM said why the Sharifs did not ask their sons to come to the country and launch a movement, and instead were calling upon the public to hold demonstrations and rallies. 

About the PML-N MPAs, he said it is their right if they wanted to meet the government authorities for the public works in their constituencies. He said that 32 PML-N MPAs contacted him when he worked with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar.

About Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) embargo, the SAPM said it was due to the writ petition of a citizen that PEMRA, not the government, stopped television channels from airing Nawaz Sharif’s speech. ‘Patriot Pakistanis will take care of Nawaz Shairf’s anti-Pakistan rhetoric themselves as they had done with Altaf Hussain,” he added.

To another question, Shahbaz Gill said that Nawaz Sharif and his family had personal business relations with the Indians and they benefit from these contacts, adding that why the Sharifs had not taken Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Allama Tahir ul Qadri to the court when he had exposed their Indian connections.