LAHORE     -   Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif Tuesday said that all hurdles in the way of Nawaz Shar­if’s return had been cleared as it was just a matter of filing an appli­cation in the court now.

“Nawaz Sharif’s path [to return] is clear now; he just has to file an ap­plication in the court”, she said while address­ing a press conference at the party’s Model Town Secretariat after getting her passport from the Lahore High Court. 

She was accompanied by Federal Ministers Khurram Dastgir, Marri­yum Aurangzeb, senior party leader Pervaiz Ra­sheed and Advocate Na­seer Bhatta. 

Replying to a ques­tion, Maryam main­tained that Nawaz Shar­if’s innocence had also been proved in the case in which she had been acquitted. She added that it had been proved beyond doubt that he did not own any prop­erty. She was referring to the Avenfield case in which she has been ac­quitted recently. 

She further stated that they could not pro­duce a single proof or document to prove the properties of Nawaz

Sharif. The grandfather was a businessman from whom the property passed directly to the grandsons and granddaughters. “My grandfather who had estab­lished a business empire start­ing from 1930 had passed on his properties and businesses directly to their grandchildren who had their own businesses. Nawaz Sharif never owned any business or property while in public office”, she explained. 

Asked about the timings of Nawaz Sharif’s return and whether she would also accom­pany her father way back to Pa­kistan, she replied: Nawaz Shar­if himself will decide the timing. But I wish I could come along with him”. 

To another question about her going abroad since she had now got the passport, Maryam said she wanted to travel abroad any time soon. “I have not met my father and two brothers in the last three years. Besides, I also need to undergo a surgery as this procedure is not done in Pakistan”, she told the media persons. 

Maryam complained that the PML-N was not having a level playing field even when it was in power. “We have not got a level playing field even today. Even being in government, we did not get a level playing field. Nawaz Sharif is not in the coun­try and Imran Khan is roaming freely despite the evidence. For a level playing field, first, we will have to come to zero po­sition; what Nawaz Sharif has suffered, he [Imran Khan] will also have to suffer”. When jus­tice is done, Imran Khan will not be seen anywhere in pol­itics but will be in jail and it should be like that”. 

Maryam said she was glad to have passport back after three years but questioned as to why she had been deprived of her basic right. “Why was my pass­port kept illegally? It often comes to my mind”, she added. 

The PML-N’ Vice-president said that the Chaudhry Sug­ar Mills case was never framed against her me but still she was nominated in that case. 

“In 2019, when I was holding big public meetings, a case was instituted against me on be­half of Fitna Khan. [Read Imran Khan]. I was detained in NAB’s custody for 57 days. I was the first woman to be detained by NAB. While in custody, I kept getting questions about what books I have been reading, who makes the party policy, what kind of food is made for me etc. Then I was sent to Kot Lakhpat Jail”, she told the reporters, add­ing that till date that case had not been registered against her. “I will also file a petition to dis­miss this case soon”, she added. 

She stated that she suffered six years in false Panama case. “Why did this happen and why was that false case made? She asked, adding that Justice Shau­kat Siddiqui’s statements were enough to answer this. 

She claimed that Imran Khan could not have won the 2018 election without removing his biggest opponent [Nawaz Shar­if]. “A false story of a fake trust deed was spun in my Panama case. I did not get punished by Callibury font or the trust deed”. 

Reacting to the criticism from her detractors after acquittal in the Avenfield case, she said the PTI people were saying that since the NAB was now under them, the NAB lawyers did not fight the case. 

“In my case, there was a NAB prosecutor who was there from day one. I told my lawyer that I don’t want to take advantage of NAB’s amendments. I got justice under the old NAB law”. 

She threw a volley of ques­tions at those calling her acquit­tal an NRO. 

“How dare you call it NRO; I left my sick mother and came to Pakistan to serve the pun­ishment; Is it NRO?. You kept blackmailing Justice Javed Iqbal by showing his video and mak­ing cases against his opponents. You kept telling Bashir Memon to make cases. Tayyaba Gul was detained for one and a half months and you blackmailed Javed Iqbal with her video. Why did Ishaq Dar have to leave this country?, He had the right to return. His becoming Finance Minister is a slap on the face of Imran Khan”. 

Maryam said that she had been told after the arrival of Ishaq Dar, the PTI men in their meet­ings in Bani Gala were worried that if the economy improves, then they will suffer. “The dis­cussion is going on in Bani Gala that the dollar is depreciating against rupee and diesel prices are going down. Actually, their problem with Dar Sahib is that he is improving the economy”. 

She said she would now tell Imran Khan what is an NRO. 

“You gave fake documents to regularise the Money Gala and Saqib Nisar declared you as Sadiq and Amen. It was NRO. You closed the case of Farah Gogi, this is NRO. You made Farah Gogi escape overnight. You gave NRO to Aleema Khan. The one you called the big­gest dacoit was made the Chief Minister of Punjab. Yesterday the decision came in favor of his son”.

She went on to say: There are so many big cases against you. You were proven guilty in For­eign Funding, Toshakhana and other cases”. 

Maryam accused Imran Khan of holding secret meetings in the President’s House at night and asked for NRO. “When he did not get NRO, he started threatening and criticising the army. What is he teaching the public by saying that will you forgive the Chowkidar for being neutral?

Even today, soldiers and offi­cers are martyred in the war of terrorism. You ridicule them?” 

She alleged that General Pa­sha and General Zaheer Islam hide things with foreign funding which were about to come out.

Maryam Nawaz played clips of Imran Khan’s speeches during the press conference and raised a number of ques­tions about Imran Khan’s con­duct and character. 

“When he was in power, Gen­eral Bajwa and the forces were good to him because they sup­ported him. Now, no longer in power, he is criticizing the army. She said he was first per­son in the country’s history to abuse the word “neutral”. He is behaving like this because they refused to change his diapers and withdrew his crutches, she added. 

“When the Chief Election Commissioner caught the theft, he became angry. General Bajwa was very good as long as Khan was in power. It means if the Chowkidars leave the protec­tion of the homeland and pro­tect the Bani Gala, then they are right. When you don’t get NRO, you start crying. The ECP chair­man was good at first, but when he caught his theft, he also went wrong”. To a question, she said there was a hell of difference be­tween the criticism of the army by Mian Nawaz Sharif and Im­ran Khan. “Nawaz Sharif’s crit­icism is that the army should re­main within its constitutional and legal limits; whereas Imran Khan wants the army to cross this limit and protect his gov­ernment”, she explained. 

Talking about Imran Khan’s al­leged disrespect towards wom­en, she said: “This fitna says that if Maryam was not a wom­an, she would have been in jail. Maryam Nawaz was still a wom­an when you threw her in Adi­ala. Maryam Nawaz was still a woman when you threw her in the death cell

You have never seen a pris­on; you ran away by jumping over the walls. I did not play the woman card;… I have been on the streets for six years. NAB called me, and opponents threw stones at my bullet proof car…. I know how much you respect women. Who made a rude com­ment on me?

About the dismissal of con­tempt of court case against Im­ran Khan, she said she in fact does not want any punishment for Imran in that case. “There are very serious allegations and evidence against him that he cannot escape punishment in any court in the world”. She said there were many other strong cases like foreign funding and the Toshakhana case in which he should be punished. 

She said she held the Chief Justice Athar Min Allah in high esteem, but such an evil mind should not have been par­doned. She said Khan apolo­gized to Judge Zeba for saving his politics. 

“If that is the case [justice], then Talaq Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz and Nihal Hashmi should also be pardoned because they have not done anything wrong”, she added. 

Maryam also criticised the PTI chief for the missing cipher. “There have been millions of ci­phers in the history of Pakistan, have any been lost till date? The international world is afraid to send ciphers to Pakistan. On the basis of this false cipher, you broke the parliament”.