LAHORE    -   Former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that arrest of former president Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N MPA Hamza Shehbaz is unjustified.

Talking to some party leaders who met him at Kot Lakhpat Jail here yesterday, he said his party was in favour of accountability but there was no justification for victimisation.

Those who met Mr Sharif included former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MNA Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah and Pervaiz Rashid.

Comparing the PML-N government’s performance with that of the PTI’s, the former prime minister claimed that his government had done much better.

He said during his rule rupee was stable and oil prices were under control.

He alleged that Prime Minister Khan did not have the mandate to rule the country and that he had ruined the economy. He predicted the downfall of the PTI in near future.

The incarcerated PML-N supremo also alleged that some ministers of the PTI government were involved in corruption but nobody was taking notice of their corruption.

He said proof was available against sister of the prime minister and she would have to face accountability.

He said it was also during his rule that Indian prime ministers Vajpayee and Modi visited Pakistan.

Former information minister Pervaiz Rashid said it was regrettable that leaders who had given relief to people during their tenure were behind bars.

People responsible for arresting and tormenting such leaders were enemies of the people, he said.

Referring to establishment of a commission that would look into the acquisition of loans and their use during the past 10 years, he said Adviser on Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh had also been part of the setup then. Would he also be treated like a co-accused, he asked.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly criticized Prime Minister Imran Khan for his late night address to the nation, saying a commission must be constituted to check the premier’s ‘mental health’.

“A high-powered commission should be formed to assess the mental health of the prime minister… it has never happened in the country’s history that any premier addressed the nation in the odd hours,” said the former premier at a news conference at Model Town office of the PML-N.

He said record of the loans acquired and expenditures made was there. He said the PML-N government had set up many projects with the borrowed money.

The PML-N senior leader went on to say that if the National Accountability Bureau arrested him, he would consider it as ‘an honour’ for him.

“Despite the passage of over 10 months, Imran Khan has failed to provide any substantial evidence of alleged corruption committed during the PML-N’s era,” he added.

The former prime minister alleged that the anti-corruption watchdog had only been used to silence dissidents, and it had been frequently misusing law of remand against the opposition.

“PML-N is not responsible for failures of the incumbent government… if PTI fails to resolve prevailing issues then calling snap elections will be the only option,” he said.

Former minister Khawaja Asif was critical of the budget targets set by the government. He said if the government could not recover Rs 4,000 billion revenue how it would be able to recover 5,000 billion plus.