RAWALPINDI - State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Monday that it was not the PML-N but civil society and legal experts who had raised voice against the Supreme Court verdict in the PTI chief’s disqualification case.

“If the apex court hands down verdicts against the Constitution, it will be justified that these should be criticised," she said while talking to media persons after inaugurating a photo exhibition titled "Colours of Korea" at the Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC).

She said that questions had been raised by the legal experts, civil society and others over decisions in PTI chief Imran Khan and former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif’s cases.

"The people objected to the comments of Sicilian Mafia and Godfather. The standards for the Niazi Services’ offshore company and Nawaz Sharif are different," the state minister said.

“On one hand, Mian Nawaz Sharif was disqualified on the basis of an Iqama and receivable income which he did not withdraw while on the other hand, Imran Khan admitted that he established an offshore company for the purchase of a flat but no action was taken against him,” she said.

The minister said that such decisions, as the one taken on July 28, created hurdles for development and progress of the country.

Answering a question, the minister said: “I am not responding to the hounarable Chief Justice of Pakistan but I must say with due respect that the doctrine of necessity is always applied under pressure.”

To another question about Nawaz Sharif’s statement to launch a movement, she said the former premier's statement should not be taken as against any institution. “Giving a statement in one's defence does not mean that there is a clash with institutions,” she said.

Marriyum said the people had elected Sharif as the prime minister and it was their right to send him back home.

“The people had given a mandate to Nawaz for five years and the party will go to the public in 2018 general elections to seek the vote on the basis of performance,” said the minister. 

She said that there were no differences within the party and all party leaders were united under the leadership of Sharif.

"The PML-N is the biggest party in the country and has made all decisions in a democratic way by taking into account opinions of different leaders and once a decision is taken, all of them work under one policy,” she said.

She said the PML-N would go to 2018 polls with its performance and all the opposition would not be able to face it.

“The opposition’s new alliances would not affect us, whether it is between Imran and Qadri or Zardari and Qadri, the PML-N will win the elections due to its performance,” she said.

“The PTI has failed to deliver in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has failed to start development projects like metro bus and orange train and instead they spent their time on criticizing the development in Punjab. Around 1000 schools in KP were shut down due to zero enrolment, while in Punjab, the enrolment has touched 98 percent,” she claimed.

Answering a question on electricity and gas load-shedding, the minister claimed that the country was generating more electricity than the demand and power cuts had ended in the country. “The PML-N took the country out of the darkness and generated electricity. No protest has been launched against the government in the recent past for the electricity,” she claimed.

Marriyum said the government was taking steps to improve gas pressure that would improve in many areas in a month or two.